#i guess?? for the lil tangent in the end paragraph
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twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat Ā· 8 months ago
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:((((((((( i ran out of tags . tumblr hates to see me thrive!!!!!!!
ok niku just . read the tags first and then come back here ok šŸ™šŸ™ i have a lot i still need to say this is so important to me . this fic changed my life .
(WARNING this got long ā€¦.. really long ā€¦.. mysteriously. i got carried away šŸ’” PLS donā€™t feel the need to respond to any of this btw i mean that sincerely i know this is kind of a Lot i just need you to know much i adored this fic <3333)
BACK TO GOJO ok so his talk w readerā€¦ā€¦ it was just so satisfying to see them finally get to tell someone about their experience. it mustā€™ve been such a great feeling for them !!!! to get some of it off their chest :((( ā€¦ and to have Gojo Fucking Satoru our safe harbour of a man there to believe them and listen to them and reassure them. heā€™s so mature when it comes down to it and you captured that so wellā€¦ā€¦ like as much as he acts childish and teasing this is exactly how i picture him interacting w someone he doesnā€™t know in a situation like this!! heā€™s flirty and unserious but he tells you heā€™ll protect you and means it. (iā€™m so down bad it physically hurts)
sorry iā€™m abt to go on a tangent i think BUT I JUST šŸ˜”šŸ˜” reallyā€¦ REALLY love their dynamicā€¦. how it evolves so much even though he doesnā€™t even know reader exists for most loops!! and to them heā€™s just this beautiful Something that they canā€™t help but look atā€¦ā€¦ ā€inhumanly attractiveā€ is a great way to put it like heā€™s justā€¦.. this magnetic forceā€¦ā€¦ā€¦.. and i feel like even before they speak to him for the first time they probably find some kind of hope in him.
AND thatā€™s so important bc to me thatā€™s like . the main Theme of the fic? hope. reader has to find some kind of hope to make it through shibuya and more often than not they find it in gojo!!! in just seeing a familiar handsome face, in learning how to navigate the timeline through his actions, in talking to him and finally having him on their side. their choice to trust him fully at the end just made me soooo insane. and obv the hope theme continues even after that because gojo believes in them!!! believes that theyā€™ll be okay in the prison realmā€¦.. more on that later actually bc i Still. have a lot to talk abt šŸ˜”šŸ‘‰šŸ‘ˆ iā€™m just wildly flipping through my notes at this point iā€™m sorry to throw this at u when weā€™ve barely interacted but in my defense this fic reached into my actual skull and started rewiring my brain so!!!! yeah.
i got completely sidetracked there but . yes!! the conversation between them when gojo gets sent back in time is. so good!!!!! so wonderfully written!!!!! i havenā€™t mentioned it that much yet i think but i love your writing i devoured every lineā€¦ā€¦ i struggle w the flow of my own writing SO much but this just flows so incredibly well??? it was sm fun to read????? and the rhythm of the paragraphs (that sounds. Insane but i hope u know what i mean šŸ˜­šŸ˜­) is so distinct!!! and ofc there are SO many banger lines in this in generalā€¦. the gore descriptions and the lines abt reader and their fixation on hope. on gojo!! ā€He's a terrifying sort of beauty and you can't help but be captivated by him.ā€ <- this is just one example but!! idk iā€™m just so enamored by ur writing style.
and the dialogue!!!!!!!! i cried!!!!!! itā€™s so consistently gojoā€¦. him going all ā€oh?ā€ ā€interestingā€¦ā€ but not explaining anything ā€¦ the ā€ding ding ding!ā€ after making reader guess what he should just be telling them (itā€™s the teacher in him <33) AND AND AND these too!!!! :3
ā€œJust think of it like having a lot of MP.ā€
ā€œYou know, your technique kind of reminds me of save scumming.ā€Ā 
THEY JUST FEEL SO CANON thatā€™s our gojoā€¦ā€¦ thatā€™s exactly what he would sayā€¦ā€¦ heā€™s so unserious and so funny and so charming šŸ˜”šŸ˜” sigh.
ANDDDDD reader telling him good luck!!!! gojo beaming and squeezing their shoulder!!!!! the lil wave!!!!! šŸ„ŗšŸ„ŗ that made me smile so wide niku heā€™s so infuriatingly cute . it felt so genuine!!!! pls know that this gojo will probably live in my brain forever like genuinely . iā€™ve been brainrotting over him all week and this was the final nail in the coffin. iā€™ll never be free.
ok but also !!!! extremely important !!!!!!! before i get to the ending i just need to tell u . how much i loved kenjaku in this ā€¦ā€¦ā€¦.. kenjaku nation (me & six others) will never forget these crumbs of content like he just feels so real!!!!! and heā€™s so interesting!!!!! made me realize how truly down bad i am for him bc these lines made me so fucking happy šŸ˜­šŸ˜­ brain started releasing serotonin like CRAZY iā€™m so ashamed.
ā€œYou can come out, you know.ā€
ā€How interesting.ā€
"I'll be nice, though. I'll make it painless."
ā€¦ā€¦.. heā€™s just ā€¦.. yeah. yeahhhhh. šŸ˜”šŸ˜” iā€™ll never be normal abt him. i think itā€™s SUCH an interesting detail that he always makes readerā€™s death painless in every single loopā€¦. he never lies about it. that feels so in character to me too!!! heā€™s kinda fascinated at first and when that interest disappears he kills them. but he doesnā€™t make it unecessarily cruel because thereā€™s just. no need. kenjaku is a sicko but heā€™s oddly polite at times and iā€™m justā€¦ā€¦. yeah. gonna need you to take over for gege akutami actually šŸ™šŸ™ get in the writerā€™s chair!!! the fandom needs u!!!!!
wait while weā€™re on this topic pls just know the entire confrontation between reader and kenjaku was one of my favorite moments in the entire fic <333 not JUST because iā€™m a kenny stan okā€¦ā€¦ā€¦ readerā€™s resignation and ā€I appreciate it.ā€ made my brain spin because itā€™s just . kinda chilling? kinda sick? that they arenā€™t even really afraid of death anymoreā€¦ or more like theyā€™re just so frighteningly used to it.
AND AND ANDDDD niku your writing in this scene šŸ˜µā€šŸ’«šŸ˜µā€šŸ’«šŸ˜µā€šŸ’« gutted me like a fish.
Time doesn't flow in the box. He didn't lie. You die again.
i exploded btw . ackkk i wish i could explain it better i just!!! :< adore your writing. these lines made me go completely batshit theyā€™re just so good. and the ā€time doesnā€™t flow in the boxā€ line ā€¦ how that ties in with the ending and readerā€™s choice. whewww.
segway time <3333 this is the final rant i promise!!! i just need to talk about the ending bc it was so perfect and like many other things in this fic it made me insane ā€¦. have i said that already ā€¦. probably at least a couple times šŸ˜”šŸ‘‰šŸ‘ˆ itā€™s true ok!! itā€™s just sooo interesting to me and obviously so wellwritten and fitting and just. thematically ties everything together so well? i was FLOORED
hhhhh i donā€™t know where to begin so iā€™ll just start w the final convo between reader and gojo :> he asks for their name !!!!!!! i cried !!!!!!!!!! calling someone by their name or knowing their name as a form of like . Closeness or Affection is one of my greatest weaknesses and i also think itā€™s soooo telling that GOJO wants to know Your Name. he wants to know you. to hear that from someone who seems so inhumanly beautiful and violentā€¦.. for him to kind of extend a final olive branch and attempt to connect w you :((((( it just says so much without spelling it out and i. started chewing at my desk. itā€™s so good!!!!!!! such a genius way to tie everything together!!!! and readerā€™s final words to himā€¦
ā€œThank you, Satoru Gojo.ā€ You burn the glittering glow of his brilliant bright blue eyes into your mind.Ā  And then, everything is engulfed in an unending black.Ā 
first of all!!! so so sooooo pretty. wowow. second of all THE THANK YOU ā˜¹ļøā˜¹ļøā˜¹ļøā˜¹ļøā˜¹ļø thatā€™s also such a perfect conclusionā€¦ā€¦.. reader finally put their trust in someone and had that faith returned. and they thank him!!!! i like to think it means something to gojo tooā€¦. likeeee how often do people really thank him for what he does? how often is his hard work to protect people acknowledged and appreciated? sorry to bring gojo back into the discussion all the time sadly i AM in love w himā€¦.. šŸ˜”šŸ˜” and this fic made it worse so technically itā€™s your fault. kind of.
okay so my brain is kinda spinning away again so iā€™ll get to the final final thing!!!! for real this time!!!!! readerā€™s decision to be imprisoned in gojoā€™s steadā€¦ thatā€™s so . genius? iā€™m so in awe??????? it makes so much sense from a character perspective based on what theyā€™ve been through ā€” after being at the mercy of time for so long, wouldnā€™t it be nice to be free of it? completely? itā€™s almost kind of chilling and just the idea of it scares me LMAO but it makes sm sense that reader would be drawn to it.
AND like i mentioned before!!! how it leads to a deeper connection between them and gojo, and how at the very end of the fic heā€™s the one who has faith in them. faith that theyā€™ll be alright, of sound mind.
ā€¦ā€¦ and that brings me to the final final final thing because. itā€™s just like the opening poem!! reader is the cat in the box. nobody can say for sure if theyā€™re alright, not to mention alive, until the box is opened. and we donā€™t get to know!!! you leave us on a cliffhanger and thatā€™s so good bc it really is like the cat in the boxā€¦. we can only wonder but it also gives us the freedom to decide for ourselves if we think they come out okay or not and iā€™m justā€¦ā€¦ā€¦ā€¦.. in love. with this fic. and the ending and the reader and gojo and you.
hopefully youā€™ve noticed atp but i really did go completely insane reading this šŸ˜­šŸ˜­ i said it at the beginning but just to reiterate!!: for SURE one of my all time favorite gojo fics . AND loopfics in generalā€¦. thank you sm for your hard work :ā€™3 aaaa i canā€™t tell u how much i admire the time you spent working on this??? your storytelling and writing and characterization skills????? i genuinely feel sooo giddy and excited and happy rn bc. i just adored this fic!!!! iā€™m so lucky i got to read it!!!!! :33 pls pat your gojo on the head from me and let him know i love himā€¦. itā€™ll boost his ego but thatā€™s a risk iā€™m willing to take šŸ˜”šŸ˜” i hope you have theeeee loveliest day or night a human being can have bc you made mine <3333333
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beyond the unending night (reader + satoru gojo)
notes: it's finally here. the long awaited halloween fic. yes, i know it's march, but i did start working on it in september. haha. there's so much i could say, but i will leave it at that this fic is, in every sense, a fic that i would not normally write. and yet here we are.
contains: f!reader (no physical description or gendered language is used), no explicit romantic pairing (though you don't have to look hard to find the reader x gojo implications), major character death (played with), semi-graphic depictions of death, blood and violence, minor suicide ideation, canon retelling (lines of dialogue are pulled from the jjk english dub because i'm a dirty dub watcher). opening poem is from higurashi no naku koro ni (minagoroshi-hen). fic title is from giga's beyond the way.
please note that this is a time loop fic and, by nature contains repeating scenes (particularly from canon). please do not read this fic if you do not like that sort of thing.
wc: 21,883 read on ao3 (account required)
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Please tell me what happened in this night. It's like the cat inside the box.
Please tell me what happened in this night. You don't know if the cat in the box is dead or alive. Please tell me what happened in this night. The cat in the box was dead.
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The first time, it is instantā€” you donā€™t even know whatā€™s happening.
The second, it is by flame, but you barely realize it, barely feel itā€” a second of mind numbing heat before nothing.
The third time, it is something slicing across your throat; you see the blood spilling everywhere, then the pain followsā€” a moment of pure agony before nothing.
The fourth time you realize whatā€™s going on; whatā€™s really going on.
You realize youā€™ve been dying.
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You think your head is going to explode.
At first, you think itā€™s because the subway platform is crowded, insanely soā€” there are hundreds of people shoved into this space alongside you, packed like sardines in a can. Youā€™ve never been one for crowds, but itā€™s the reality of things when you live in Tokyo. For the most part, youā€™ve learned to accept it, but even this crowd is a little much and you wish you hadnā€™t listened to your friends when they said you should go party in Shibuya for Halloween; you donā€™t even like partying.
Thereā€™s a sharp pain in your temple followed by a thought so loud that it feels like someone is screaming it at you through a megaphone positioned right next to your ear.
Itā€™s the night of October 31, 2018ā€” Halloween in Shibuya.
For the eighth time.
Before you can even question the thought, images flash in your mindā€™s eye, blurry at first before they come into focus. The platform gates open. Chaos ensues. People dropping onto the subway tracksā€” spontaneously bursting into flameā€” their heads, necks sliced off, stomachs cut openā€”
Bile rapidly builds up in your throat, and you clamp your jaw shut, trying to force it down. Not here. Not now. You try to focus on something else, anything else happening outside of your brain. Thereā€™s a pair next to you musing about the people standing on the subway tracks, wondering what the two (the four?) of them are talking about. You blink back tears as you look. You can only see two: a freakishly tall man with white hair dressed in all black, and another man, dressed in strange, yet more traditional looking garb. Are those costumes too? You donā€™t have a lot of time to think about it as another image forces its way into your brain.
Your corpseā€” lifeless on the ground.
Your corpseā€” burning to ash.
Your corpseā€” bleeding out.
You canā€™t hold it in any more. Every fiber in your being screams at you to get away from the subway tracks, but instead you rush toward them, shoving people left and right as your hands desperately reach the stability of the gate. You grip it like a lifeline as you retch over the side of it, the contents of your stomach spilling all over the subway tracks.
Thereā€™s a quiet murmur of disgust behind you but you canā€™t be bothered to respond. You need to get out of here. You need to leave. You need to do it beforeā€”
The gates open and the crowd starts to move like a tidal wave, pushing and shoving their way through the gate. Youā€™re swept away, vomit long forgotten as you and a few dozen others tumble onto the railway.
Alarm bells go off in your brain, loud and deafening. A voice in the back of your head screams for you to get off the track! Get off the track now beforeā€”
The platform erupts into a cacophony of screams, drenched in horror, saturated in fear. You are surrounded by people, by corpsesā€” beheaded, sliced open, bursting into flames.
Your terror roots you to the ground as the carnage ensues around you. Itā€™s only when another person, another corpse, dressed in a magical girl costume collides with your body that you can finally move. But itā€™s too late, you realize, despaired and helpless, as your bodies fall to the ground.
Itā€™s too late.
You die an eighth time.
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You think your chest is going to explode.
At first, you think itā€™s because itā€™s so hard to breathe, frustratingly soā€” there are hundreds of people squeezed into this space alongside you, packed like cattle for slaughter. You've never been one for crowds, but itā€™s the reality of things when youā€™re in Shibuya. For the most part, youā€™ve come to accept it, but this crowd is way too much and you wish you had just stayed home and ordered a pizza; though honestly, the thought of pizza kind of makes you sick.
Thereā€™s a dull throbbing in your forehead, followed by a thought so loud that it feels like someoneā€™s hollering at you from a loudspeaker thatā€™s been installed in your brain.
Itā€™s the night of October 31, 2018ā€” Halloween in Shibuya.
You think it's the ninth time now.
Behind you, you hear a woman screaming, her voice crazed and terrified. You turn your head automatically to look at her and when you see her you realize you recognize her yellow and white magical girl costume. You can say with certainty that youā€™ve never seen her before and yetā€”
Before you can ruminate more on it, imagesā€” memories assault your mindā€™s eye with a clarity that is absolutely sickening. That woman colliding into you, your bodies slamming into the subway tracks before you bothā€” Your stomach churns violently,
and you feel like youā€™re going to puke, but you force it downā€” can't afford to right now. Instead, you make your way over to the woman.
Her head is in her hands as she mutters over and over again about how everyone is going to die. People around her figure that being stuck in here with the crowd has probably gotten to her. You, however, know better.
ā€œ...hey,ā€ you say softly.
Her muttering comes to an abrupt halt and slowly she raises her head to look at you. Thereā€™s a flash of recognition in her eyes and she grabs you violently by the shoulders. ā€œYou! You know, donā€™t you? That weā€™re going to die?ā€
If it werenā€™t for the fact that you have indeed experienced death here eight times already, then you would have thought sheā€™s lost her mind. Slowly, you nod and she seems relieved by it, her grip on you loosening.
You canā€™t help but feel a little relieved tooā€” glad to know that youā€™re not the only one experiencing this nightmare. Thereā€™s a voice in the back of your mind thatā€™s confused though. Why is she only remembering now? But then again, it took you a few times before you realized yourself.
Around you people start to gasp, and you glance back toward the railway to see an abnormally tall man with white hair and dressed in all black jump down from the atrium onto the railway. He lands rather gracefully for someone who jumped at least one floor and starts to converse with the other three people (you think they're peopleā€” two of them are in some pretty wild costumes) on the track.
Wait. Isnā€™t it supposed to be just two people: the tall man and the one in the traditional clothes? Where did the other two come from?
ā€œWe have to get out of here,ā€ the woman says. ā€œBefore they kill us.ā€
Her grip shifts from your shoulders to your arms and she starts to shove at everyone around you, trying to force her way through. She seems to know, just as well as you do, that any second now the gates will open and the crowd will start spilling onto the railway, littering the tracks with bodies and ash. Neither of you can let yourselves get swept up with the rest. If you do and you end up on those tracks, youā€™re as good as dead.
People move aside at a snail's pace, many of them too focused on trying to see what is going on on the subway tracks. This isn't good. You need to move faster or elseā€”
The collective sound of the gates opening echoes in your head, a metallic hiss that makes your stomach fold into itself. Before either of you can stop yourselves, you both whip your heads back to look, to confirm, but itā€™s a mistake.
The briefest lapse in attention is enough to pull you both into the current of people, and try as you might to fight against it, the crowd splits you and the woman apart as it swallows you both whole. Youā€™re both spat onto the tracks at the edge of the platform and your head collides with the metal rails of the track. It feels like your skull is about to crack in two, and it takes every fiber in your being to scramble to your feet. You're close enough to the platform that if you can just climb up it, then you'll beā€”
ā€œHelp! Help!ā€
Itā€™s the womanā€™s voice. You turn to see that she ended up a couple meters away from you. Sheā€™s staring at you, eyes brimming with fear filled tears as she extends her hand in your direction. You take a step toward her, reaching out.
And then, her entire body is engulfed in flames, the skirt of her magical girl costume a ring of fiery death around her.
Her blood curdling scream is the only thing you can hear, her burning flesh, the only thing you can see. You donā€™t know what to do.
You canā€™t save her.
There's something touching your back. You can barely feel the pressure, but it's hot, scorching hot, mind numbingly hot, painfully hothothot.
You know this sensation. You have felt it before. The scent of burning cloth, burning hair, burning flesh clogs your nostrils. It's too late, you realize, helpless, despaired as the flames eat at your bodyā€” your soon to be corpse.
It's too late.
You die a ninth time.
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Itā€™s October 31, 2018ā€” Halloween in Shibuya.
This is the tenth time.
Your head hurts, but you ignore it. Thereā€™s something more important that you need to attend to. You immediately make your way to the woman you met during your last round, the one you watched burn to death. Her costume is still pristine, unmarred by fire and death.
For now.
Sheā€™s not screaming this time and while thereā€™s a little voice in the back of your mind thatā€™s concerned by this, you try to ignore it.
ā€œUm, excuse me?ā€ you say when she doesnā€™t acknowledge you as you approach.
The woman turns to look at you. Youā€™re taken aback by the distinct lack of recognition and it feels almost as if the woman you encountered previously and the one before you now are two separate people. In a way, they technically are.
ā€œDo Iā€¦ know you?ā€ she finally asks when you donā€™t say anything.
Your mouth is dry. How do you even answer that? You donā€™t know her. You just watched her die twice. You know her. She begged you for help. You couldnā€™t save her.
If you explain all of this you know sheā€™s just going to think youā€™ve lost your mind. Maybe you already haveā€” youā€™ve died nine times after all.
You give her a weak smile. ā€œIā€¦ just wanted to tell you that you think your costume looks great.ā€
She blinks, taken aback by your words. Thereā€™s no doubt that she wasnā€™t expecting you to say that. Itā€™s the truth though, her costume is nice; sheā€™s dressed up as a character from a magical girl anime that was popular a couple years ago.
ā€œThank you! I made it myself!ā€ The woman breaks out into a genuine smile and your heart hurts. In a few moments sheā€™ll die and the costume she worked so hard to make will be nothing but ash on the subway tracks.
ā€œSorry,ā€ you blurt out before you can stop yourself.
ā€œFor?ā€
For watching her die. For not being able to save her.ā€œ...I just kind of came up to you all of a suddenā€¦ā€
She laughs. ā€œItā€™s okay.ā€
Itā€™s not.
You consider telling her that she should try to move. That if she stays here she will die. You donā€™t want her to die. Again. You can still hear her screaming in your ears as she burned to death. You want to tell her.
You donā€™t.
ā€œStay safe, okay?ā€ you say. It almost sounds like youā€™re begging.
She gives you another smile, kind and gentle and you think youā€™re far too undeserving of it for not telling her what fate will soon befall her. ā€œYou too.ā€
ā€œIā€™ll try,ā€ you say and move away from the woman just as the gates open and the crowd surges toward the railway. You do not fight it as you are swept up into the crowd and despite what you said, you do not try, this time, to stay safe.
You die for the tenth time.
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Itā€™s October 31, 2018ā€” Halloween in Shibuya.
This is the fourteenth time.
Thereā€™s a slight ache in your head, but itā€™s subtle enough that you can ignore it. The pain you feel lessens with each round and you think itā€™s a sign that your body no longer feels the need to remind you of the precarious situation that youā€™re in.
Or maybe you are just becoming numb to everything: your death, the death of the people around you, the death of the woman in the magical girl costumeā€”
You try not to think about it too much as you reach into your bag to check the time on your phone: 8:37PM. Thereā€™s not a lot of time: you need to move.
At the very end of your last attempt to escape this nightmare you realized something. You need to know exactly what is going on around you so you can plan accordingly: where to not stand, where to not go. Up until now, youā€™ve relied almost solely on the knowledge gained from your previous failures to try and survive, but obviously itā€™s not enough to keep you alive. Youā€™re not sure why you didnā€™t realize this earlier. The panic, maybe? The fear?
Maybe you really are becoming numb to all this.
Unlike previous iterations, this time you elect to move closer to the gate, positioning yourself somewhere against it where youā€™re unlikely to be pushed off the platform in a couple minutes when they open. You take great care to place yourself where you can see the ones responsible for the slaughter very clearly. At the beginning, you could only see one, the one who looks the most human, but with each repetition, the other two have become more and more clear. You wonder why. You donā€™t have time to think about it.
Murmurs nearby alert you to the arrival of the fourth major player involved in the nightā€™s events. You look up and see the white haired man dressed in all black descending upon the platform like an angel from the heavens. This is your first time really looking at him and you realize thereā€™s something almost inhumanly attractive about him. You canā€™t quite put your finger on it, but it occurs to you that you shouldnā€™t even try; you donā€™t have the time to be drooling over some handsome stranger.
Youā€™ve naturally never taken the time to try and listen to whatever the conversation the man and his opponents have before all hell breaks loose on the platform, but you try and lean closer to listen. Itā€™s hard to hear over the dozens of conversations going on behind you, but you try anyway. There might be a clue to whatā€™s actually going onā€” or better yet, a clue on how to get out of it.
Itā€™s obvious that youā€™re missing context from what bits of the conversation you do manage to hear, but honestly it all sounds like stuff out of a shounen battle manga. There is one part of the exchange that you manage to hear with a startling sort of clarity. It feels almost as if your heart stops beating as your blood turns ice cold in your veins.
ā€œIf I run away, youā€™re just gonna kill everyone here, right?ā€ the man in black asks.
Thereā€™s a pause, and if your heart was still beating itā€™d be long enough for just four heartbeats.
ā€œIf you run away?ā€ The monster with cane repeats, the sadistic grin spreading wide across its features, displaying its charcoal black teeth. The gravelly sound of its voice sets fire to the blood in your veins, your stilled heart thumping wildly, in fear, in anticipation. Soon. Itā€™s happening soon. You brace yourself. ā€œWeā€™re going to do that even if you donā€™t!ā€
You die a fourteenth time.
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Itā€™s October 31, 2018ā€” Halloween in Shibuya.
This is the seventeenth time now.
Things are going surprisingly well, even as the people around you tumble onto the tracks. You manage to hold on, desperation keeping you from falling into the abyss. This is good, you tell yourself, despite the fact that itā€™s not the first time youā€™ve achieved this. Every little victory is worth celebrating, but you have to remain vigilant. This is yet another information gathering loop, and while you know that maybe this time youā€™ll be lucky and live, thereā€™s still a chance, a big one, at that, that you will die again.
You have to make the most of each and every death.
Itā€™s such a morbid thought, but the ends justify the means, or so you tell yourself. If you have to die a few times to make it out of this unending nightmare, then so be it.
The spot youā€™re in is a good vantage point; itā€™s easier to see everything happening below you. Itā€™s so good that itā€™s actually sickening. You watch as the monster with the cane and one with what looks like branches for eyes slaughter the people on the track, mowing them down, setting them aflame. In another life, in another many lives, that was you down there, and for what feels like the first time in forever, you feel like youā€™re going to be sick. You feel like, at some point, you likened the scene before you to some kind of shounen battle manga, but you think that was wrong.
This is borderline horror.
Everything plays out before you like a scene out of an action horror flick. If you didnā€™t know better, youā€™d think you were just an extra on set, but you know the reality is that youā€™re just an extra to whatever phantasmal battle is taking place in front of you. The monsters and the strangely dressed man all try to attack the man in black, but he manages to block every hit effortlessly, as if he is protected by some sort of invisible barrier. When it seems the two monsters are about to hit him, he merely jumps out of the way and the two monsters seem to collide, the force of their combined strength sending a gust of air throughout the crowd. The man in black neatly lands on a nearby platform half wall and says something about curse users, whatever those are, to the monsters, before he starts to mock them, pulling down his strange blindfold in the process.
And this, youā€™ve found, is where you start to get in trouble.
You clearly remember thinking, at some point, previously, that there was something attractive about this man. You still donā€™t know what it is. You havenā€™t had the time to try and figure it out, but there is one thing that you do know: you canā€™t keep your eyes off of him.
He drops back down onto the tracks, antagonizing his opponents in an arrogant tone as he approaches. When he comes to a stop between the two monsters, the second round of their fight begins. They try to hit him, but he dodges still, gracefully, fluidly, like the three of them are embroiled in some sort of passionate, yet violent dance.
You cannot turn your eyes away as he cruelly rips off one of the arms of the one-eyed monster.
You cannot turn your eyes away as he brutally kicks the branch-eyed monster in the abdomen, sending them flying to the other side of the platform.
You cannot turn your eyes away as he effortlessly hurls the one-eyed, now one-armed monster in the same direction, sending them smashing into the wall.
Only when the man in black seems to fly to the other side is the spell over you seemingly broken. Still, your eyes give chase, and your body too, rushing from one side of the platform to the other. You canā€™t lose sight of this fight, you tell yourself, settling in a spot you recall being safe during your last round. Doing so could mean another death, another loop, another October 31.
You watch as the man in black acrobatically dodges what looks to be vines or roots that the monster with branches for eyes seems to have summoned from the depths of the Tokyo metro. He lands on the monsterā€™s shoulders, balancing on them as he uses its branch-eyes for leverage. The look in the manā€™s eyes is so crazed that you can see it from where youā€™re standing. He says something to it and thenā€”
With a feral and sadistic smile, he rips their eyes straight out of their skull.
Your heart is pounding wildly in your chest as you watch the fight unfold. It is horrifyingly, disgustingly violent, yet still you watch as people on the track are killed by the human-like person, blood raining down as their freshly beheaded skulls go flying into the air. He and the one-eyed monster launch their counter attacks against the man in black and the blowback is so intense the power goes out causing everyone to scream.
Thereā€™s a faint glow where the man in black is standing that starts to grow brighter and brighter. You can make out his form turning to face the wall, and it seems almost like heā€™s slammed the monster that had branches for eyes against it with some sort of telekinetic power. Despite the panic from the people around you, you manage to hear him, chuckling like a mad man as he draws closer and closer to the monster.
The one-eyed monster yells out a name, a name you think must belong to the man, but he doesnā€™t hear it. He doesnā€™t hear the one-eyed monster as he extends his hands out toward the eyeless monster, exerting some kind of force that you canā€™t really see. He doesnā€™t hear the one-eyed monster as the eyeless monsterā€™s entire body is vaporized in a flash of blue light. He doesnā€™t hear the one-eyed monster, as the lights flicker back on revealing a smoking crater stained with purple blood where the eyeless monster once stood.
But you do.
Satoru Gojo.
You make sure to remember that.
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Itā€™s October 31, 2018ā€” Halloween in Shibuya.
And this is the eighteenth time.
You watch as the man called Satoru Gojo stalks through the crowd of people on the subway tracks, chasing after the one-eyed fire monster. It throws people at him, in a clear attempt to slow him down.
It does not work.
Satoru Gojo climbs back onto the platform in a way that you can only describe as inhuman, and the people nearby shriek and move away from him, out of terror, out of fear. You, on the other hand, draw closer, refusing to lose sight of him.
He is relentless in his pursuit of the one-eyed monster. It continues to throw person after person at him, but he does not stop and the people float there, suspended in midair before they are gently lowered to the ground by some unseen force and scramble away.
No one dares get close to Satoru Gojo, everyone on the platform seems to know that doing so means certain death, yourself included. But you still feel the need to keep an eye on him. The monster and the strangely dressed man are focusing more on him than the crowdā€” anyone in between is just collateral damage.
But not you.
Especially since youā€™ve made it this farā€” youā€™ve never made it this far before.
A voice echoes throughout the platform; you realize itā€™s the automated announcement.
An eight car train is pulling in. Please wait behind the yellow line.
You can hear everyoneā€™s relief coming from all sides. The train is coming! The train is coming! A ripple of hope makes its way throughout the crowd. With the train comes the chance to get off the platform and the senseless violence thatā€™s been happening here. Some of the people around you are talking excitedly and others are running toward the gates, toeing the yellow line theyā€™ve been instructed to wait behind. And you, you should be excited, you should be hopeful.
All you feel is dread.
It eats at your stomach, at your chest, at your mind. Clawing and gnawing at you in a way that leaves you paralyzed on the platform. Thereā€™s something wrong here. You canā€™t be sure because youā€™ve never made it this far, never survived long enough for the train to come, but something is just not right.
No.
You must be paranoid. The train coming is a good thing. It has to be a good thing. You are just paranoid. Itā€™s normal. Itā€™s natural. Dying seventeen times would do that to anyoneā€” rob them of hope, condemn them to an existence full of fear.
It is not lost on you that the thought of dying more than once, much less, dying seventeen times is not normal or natural in the very slightest.
But you need hope, you crave it, wildly, desperately. The hope of freedom, of escape is the only thing getting you through this unending nightmare. Every time you die, every time you wake, it is with the hope that maybe, just maybe this iteration will be different, maybe this one will be the one where you make it out, make it back to your friends who must be waiting for you, make it back home where you can be safe and sound. You need the hope to keep going. Because without hope, what will you have left?
The train screeches as it pulls into the station and the people around you laugh in both disbelief and relief. They start to push and shove toward it, fighting to be able to board because thereā€™s no way everyone here will be able to get on an eight car train and being left behind at this point is practically synonymous with death. Unable to decide if you believe in the train as a symbol of hope or a new layer of fear, you are pushed along with the crowd toward it.
The doors of the train cars slide open and the current passengers all rush off as they disembark. You as well as everyone else on the platform can see with a horrifying clarity that the train is filled to the brim with monsters. Monsters that reach out and grab anyone their hands can reach. The woman to your left. The person to your right.
You.
Hope is gone.
What do you have left?
You die for the eighteenth time.
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Itā€™s October 31, 2018ā€” Halloween in Shibuya.
This is probably the twenty-sixth time now.
If there is anything this entire ordeal has taught you, it is that you are resilient. Whether it is some innate trait that you never had any reason to uncover before or just a byproduct of being trapped in an unending cycle of being dead and not dead, you don't know. What you do know, though, is that even if you no longer have hope, you at least have your resilience.
Whether you want it or not.
You check the time. Itā€™s 8:35PM. Something flickers in your chest, like a faint light in a sea of darkness, but you ignore it. You donā€™t have time right now.
With a nimbleness born from your previous failures, you weave your way through the crowd. Youā€™ve done this enough times to know where the gaps areā€” who will yield and who wonā€™t. Your destination is the escalator that leads off the platform and up to a higher part of the station. Youā€™d noticed previously that the escalator along with every other entrance onto the platform will eventually be blocked by vines or roots of some sort (the work of the branch-eyed monster probably). Itā€™s not a perfect plan because you donā€™t know what happens on the other side, but whatever it is has to be better than whatever is happening on the side that youā€™ve been on.
Youā€™d tried to get to the stairs during your last two rounds, but youā€™d just missed it. You hadnā€™t been fast enough and had gotten caged and slaughtered along with the rest. But this time, this time you have more time. Itā€™s just one minute, but itā€™s enough. You know it is.
The flickering in your heart grows stronger. Hope. You try not to pay attention to itā€” you donā€™t want to be disappointed yet again. But you want to so badly. A voice in the back of your mind tells you to focus on the good, tells you that if there was truly no way out of this endless nightmare, then why would you get more and more time with each round to escape your fate?
With that thought in mind, you break out into a run, recklessly rushing through the crowd, shoving anyone who will not yield to the side. Out of the corner of your eye you can see the stark white of Satoru Gojoā€™s hair as he descends upon the platform.
You need to get up those stairs.
Now.
If you remember correctly, the roots and vines donā€™t close off the area the moment he touches down, but a little after they start talking, so you think there is probably some time, but you canā€™t leave it to chance.
The stairs are packed, and for some reason no one is moving. The escalator right next to it is just as full and the power doesnā€™t seem to be working. You donā€™t have time for this. You clamber onto the escalatorā€™s rubber handrail, ignoring the weird feeling that passes through your body as you do so. You donā€™t have the time to worry about whatever that is. The people around you start exclaiming around you, but you donā€™t care, you donā€™t listen. You wobble as you try to balance yourself and when you think youā€™re steady you try to run.
But you trip.
And you die for the twenty-sixth time.
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Itā€™s October 31, 2018ā€” Halloween in Shibuya.
This marks the thirtieth time.
And you have, finally, finally made it up the escalator, up the stairs with barely a second to spare. You pause, glancing back as the roots or vines or whatever the hell they are seal off the entrance to the platform. You notice that the area where the plants come down is actually fairly clear, despite the crowd. It seems weird, but you donā€™t dwell on it.
A strange feeling envelops your entire body and your legs turn into jelly. As you sink to the floor, you realize what youā€™re feeling is relief as all the tension, maybe thirty iterations of Halloween 2018 worth, seeps from your being. You don't remember the last time you felt anything other than fear and dread; itā€™s weird, but not unwelcome.
That voice in the back of your mind tells you that you can't relax just yet: October 31st isnā€™t over. Even though you have repeated this night again and again, burning the events that play out on the platform into your memory, you do not know a single thing that happens over here. It would be smart to scope everything out.
Legs still shaky, you rise to your feet and start walking. You think itā€™s probably for the best to try and head up to the surface and you make your way up to the next floor.
Itā€™s packed with people here too, but relatively peaceful, especially when you compare it to the pandemonium taking place beneath your feet. Still, you can make out the undeniable hum of displeasure resonating throughout the crowd. People complaining about how uncomfortable their costumes are, people complaining about how much they want to go home, people complaining about how much their nights have been ruined because they couldnā€™t meet up with their friends andā€”
A thought hits you like an eight car train.
You were supposed to meet up with your friends.
Thatā€™s why you were on the platform in the first placeā€” you were waiting for them to arrive, but then the trains stopped working, and people just started pouring into the station out of seemingly nowhere (you think you heard some people say theyā€™d come from the crossing?). Soon after that is when everything went to shit.
You check your phone, though, for once itā€™s not to look at the time (8:56PM). Instead, you open LINE to check your friendsā€™ group chat. Thereā€™s no signal here, for whatever reason, so if there are any new messages, you havenā€™t received them. The last one was from Kei, mentioning he was enroute, but as far as you know, youā€™re the only one who made it to Shibuya before the trains stopped.
Did one of them maybe make it here though? Surely, you would have run into them ifā€”
The image of a woman in a magical girl costume fills your vision, burning to death before your very eyes as her screams echo in your ears. It is the first time in what feels like forever that youā€™ve thought about her and your stomach churns violently. You couldnā€™t help her, you canā€™t even help yourself, so how could you even expect to do the same for your friends if they were here? The mere thought of having to watch them die over and over is almost enough to send you over the edge. You donā€™t know if you could do it.
Would you even have a choice?
No. You can't think like that. You have choices. You've had choices. If you didnā€™t then, you would still be down below, among the fire and brimstone. Dying, if not dead already. However, instead, you are up here, where, for the moment, it is quiet and peaceful.
That thought, in of itself, is enough to give you a shred of solace, a glimmer of hope.
You take a deep breath and fiddle with your phone a little more, changing your lock screen to a picture you and your friends took at a photo booth not too long ago. The four of you are huddled together, faces squished as if you're all struggling to fit in the frame, despite there being plenty of room. You're mid-laugh because it's the first time you've been in a photo booth in years, Mio and Shin are grinning mischievously and finally, Kei is smiling, but only just slightly, the embarrassment clear on his face. It's probably only been a few months since you all took this picture, but the fact that it feels like it's been years makes your heart ache.
You press your forehead to the screen, like a prayer, like a promise.
You will make it out of this nightmare.
No matter what.
A shrill scream yanks you from your thoughts and you are instantly on your feet, alert as your eyes flit around frantically to identify the source. It doesn't take long for you to find it and when you do, you think you might have stumbled upon a new layer of horror to this nightmare.
Itā€™s not the corpse, dangling by a noose, that terrifies youā€” by now youā€™ve seen dozens upon dozens of dead bodies that the sight of just one more doesnā€™t faze you in the slightest. The thing thatā€™s the most mortifying, thatā€™s the most disturbing is that right next to where the body is tied are two girls, two teenage girls still dressed in their school uniforms.
You can accept monsters and weirdly dressed men being responsible for the carnage tonight, but children too? Both girls look like theyā€™re barely in high school and try as you might to rationalize things, to chalk it up to coincidence, you cannot ignore the ominous energy radiating from them.
The very notion that these two children could have killed someone here is a hard pill to swallow, but so is the fact that youā€™ve died.
And youā€™ve had to swallow that pill thirty times now, so whatā€™s once more?
ā€œListen up!ā€ one of the girls yells over the crowd, but she is mostly ignored; you donā€™t think everyone here has noticed her and the corpse dangling from the rafters. She scowls and turns to the other girl and says something quietly to her. The other girl nods and almost instantly sheā€™s stringing up another person, another example. You want to look away so badly, and yet you cannot bring yourself to and you watch the poor soul choke to death.
ā€œI said listen, you dumb monkeys!ā€ the girl shouts, and this time sheā€™s caught most of the crowdā€™s attention. ā€œIf you donā€™t want to end up like these two, youā€™ll listen to what we have to say!ā€
There is clear dissent among the crowd, people dismissive as they utter their disbelief. Some seem to think itā€™s a prank, but you know better. It takes two more examples before the crowd goes silent before the two high schoolers.
ā€œAbout damn time!ā€ The girl roars and then points toward the atrium, which is currently covered by roots and branches. ā€œAll of you move over there!ā€
You have a bad feeling about this.
Still, you comply; the girls have made it abundantly clear that failure to do so will result in death, though, at this point, you're almost certain this iteration is a bust and death is all but imminent. You try to keep positiveā€” thinking you can at least gather information or, who knows, maybe there's a chance that this one is the one.
Yet when you step onto the mound of vines and branches that cover the atrium it feels as if you've crossed the threshold into hell. Your footing is stableā€¦ but for how long?
An eight car train is pulling in. Please wait behind the yellow line.
It's faint, but you can hear the announcement from below. The liquid in your stomach curdles at the sound as you recall the train and, in particular, what is on board. Soon enough, those monsters will be swarming the platform, massacring everyone in reach, guzzling down their blood, feasting on their fleshā€”
It dawns on you that the people on the platform are the monsters' first course.
And you, and those around you here in the shrubbery, are the second.
As you realize this, the branches and vines disintegrate beneath your very feet and suddenly you are mid airā€” falling, falling into the abyss below.
You die for the thirtieth time.
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Itā€™s October 31, 2018ā€” Halloween in Shibuya.
You've done this nearly sixty times now.
After countless failures, you've decided that you're just not going to go upstairs any more. No matter where you try to go, you still end up herded onto the death trap above the platform where you ultimately fall to your death. You've tried positioning yourself in the same spot, tried bracing yourself for the dropā€” but nothing seems to work: upon landing, assuming you manage to land without hurting yourself or dying in midair (which has happened a couple times) you get grabbed and killed by one of the monsters from the train. It's probably not impossible, you just don't have the physical prowess or reflexes for it.
If anything, you can try again later, but you sincerely hope you don't have to.
It's 8:32PM, and you have plenty of time to get to your chosen spot for this loopā€” it's close to the stairs, in the very center of the platform. Here, there's little risk of getting pushed off onto the tracks when the gates open. You'll probably have to move when the train comes, or even before (assuming you survive) to avoid the monsters, but you'll get to that when it's time.
You can't really see the fight once it breaks out after Satoru Gojo arrives, but you still try to keep track of it as best as you can. You see when he hurls both monsters across the platform and you're not sure if it's muscle memory or what but you have to fight the urge to move to the side and watch. It's been a while, yes, but you've seen the fight countless times beforeā€” it doesn't change. Satoru Gojo will give chase. He will rip the branches from the branch eyed monster's skull. He will use some kind of power to eviscerate them.
You don't need to watch, but there's something in you that wants to.
It doesn't make sense, you've seen it all before; if you're unlucky you'll see it all again.
The lights go out and people start screaming; Satoru Gojo is ending the life of that one monster. Soon enough he'll be back on the platform, in pursuit of the other. You think at that point it would be good to move, reposition yourself as far from the incoming train as possible.
When he rises from the tracks like a demon straight from hell, you realize it's the first time this loop that you've actually gotten a good look at him. You remind yourself, again, that this isn't the first time you've seen this man, this scene. You can't help but watch, but stare at Satoru Gojo as he stalks through the crowd in pursuit of his prey. His expression is an eerie sort of calm that's at odds with the acts of violence you've seen him commitā€” his eyes an unnaturally bright blue.
He's a terrifying sort of beauty and you can't help but be captivated by him.
An eight car train is pulling in. Please wait behind the yellow line.
The sound of the announcement sends your heartbeat into a frenzy, snapping you out of your little trance. The train is coming and you need to get moving. As you dart to the edge of the platform, the thought occurs to you that even if you avoid the initial wave of monsters, it's likely you will inevitably be caught by them and killed. It wouldn't be impossible for Satoru Gojo to turn his attention to them instead of the two he's currently facing, but he's just one manā€” can he truly defeat all those monsters?
You can see the train pulling in and you brace yourself, praying that it'll work out somehow.
The doors hiss open and the screaming starts again as the monsters come bursting out of the train, biting and mauling anyone they can get their hands on. Those who were lucky enough to not be at the front start to scramble away and the monsters give chase. Your body is taut, ready to try and dodge any that come your way.
Out of the corner of your eye you notice something moving through the air. A person? With blue hair? You take the risk to lookā€” they're attacking Satoru Gojo. He tries to punch them but they fly away from him to dodgeā€” disappearing into the crowd.
You hear a loud cracking sound over the cacophony of the crowd and your stomach twists; you know what that sound is. The roots above the atrium disintegrate and bodies from above start to rain down onto the platform.
And then, you're not sure what happensā€” it's so quick that you only manage to see what looks like an explosion of blood surrounding Satoru Gojo. Corpses litter the ground around him and even from here you can tell he is shaken by the carnage.
The monsters have finally reached where you're standing, and you duck under one as it lunges at you. Although it's big and scary, you realize it's moving kind of slow. Right after it another one comes at you and you take a side step to avoid it; this monster is kind of slow too.
Maybe you can do this.
As soon as you think that a strange feeling courses through you. Every hair on your body feels like it's standing on edge and the voice in your head is telling you to look at Satoru Gojo. You don't understand why because you think he's the least of your worries right now, but you do it anyway.
He's in some sort of stance, one hand raised to his face, fingers bent in some kind of gesture. There's some sort of aura, oppressive and frightening emanating from his form.
Satoru Gojo is doing something.
You just can't tell what.
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Itā€™s October 31, 2018ā€” Halloween in Shibuya.
And you are utterly confused.
Barring your first few loops when you weren't fully aware of what was happening, you have very distinct memories of how each of your previous iterations of this night have goneā€” of each and every one of your deaths. But for your last round, the last thing you remember was feeling the immense power radiating from Satoru Gojo's body, but that's it.
You do not remember dying.
In fact, you don't think you did.
And yet, here you are again, back at the start: it's 8:32PM and the monsters and strangely dressed man are standing on the subway tracks waiting for the arrival of Satoru Gojo.
You don't understand what's going on; you didn't die but you're still stuck in this damn loop. Up until now, your death has served as the trigger to restart the loop. It's not impossible that maybe you suffered a quick and painless death but you're almost certain that isn't the case.
Something else must have happened.
Something having to do with Satoru Gojo.
You have to find out what. If you don't, you won't know how to avoid it, and if you can't do that, then you really might spend an eternity stuck in this nightmare. And so you take great care to repeat the steps of your last round. You need to make sure to survive to the same point you made it to last time.
Miraculously, you do.
The moment you feel that sensation again, a prickling sort of feeling that envelops your entire body, your eyes are on Satoru Gojoā€” trying to figure out what the hell he's doing. His eyes are crazed with a desperate kind of focus. You see his mouth moveā€” he's saying something. A spell? A prayer? A curse?
You don't know.
You do know.
Your brain feels like it's going to explode.
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Again.
Itā€™s October 31, 2018ā€” Halloween in Shibuya.
Again.
You do not know how many times it's been the night of Halloween in Shibuya: you stopped counting around the hundredth loop. It feels like it's been a while since then. Or maybe it hasn't? You don't know any more.
What you do know is that this night ends up going one of two ways before you are forced to repeat it. Either you die, in some way, shape or form or something happens just after nine that forces you to reset. You still don't know what it is exactly; you only know that Satoru Gojo is responsible for it.
You do prefer it to dyingā€” it's far less painful.
But if anything, you wish you could just die permanently and never have to repeat this night ever again.
Unfortunately, you know better.
The only good thing youā€™ve noticed about all of this is that you really do seem to keep waking up earlier and earlier. The last time you checked, it was at around 8:30. It might take hundreds of thousands of loops, but eventually youā€™ll certainly wake up early enough to avoid this damn entire mess.
But by the time that happensā€¦ will your sanity still be intact? Will you really be able to go back to a normal day to day life after living the equivalent of hundreds of years, repeating the same night over and over again? You donā€™t even know how youā€™ve managed to stay sane all this time and as much as you want to believe you could do itā€¦
There has to be a breaking point.
For both your mind and this time loop.
If youā€™re lucky, youā€™ll reach the latter first.
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Thereā€™s a dull ache in your head that feels foreign yet familiar. Your mind is foggy, all your thoughts hazy as you try to recall what the word for this feeling is.
Groggy.
It feels as if youā€™ve woken up from a nap and you blink the sleepiness away from your eyes. When was the last time you took a nap? Itā€™s been a whileā€¦ You think you maybe tried once or twice, but you were too nervous, too on edge. Awake or asleep, it didnā€™t matter because, either way, you were doomed to repeat this nightmare.
As you think this, you realize that something is different.
Youā€™re used to how the start of each loop feels like waking up suddenly and abruptly and it becomes clear to you that you havenā€™t looped. This is completely uncharted territory.
You need to find out whatā€™s going on.
The first thing you notice is that itā€™s quiet. Almost eerily so, especially when the last thing you remember was screaming and chaos. You glance around you and find that it looks like all the monsters from the train are dead, the ground littered in their bloodstains and corpses. There were so many of them, you donā€™t know how someone could have wiped them out so quicklyā€¦ Could it possibly have been Satoru Gojoā€™s doing?
More concerning than the complete eradication of the monsters is the fact that nearly everyone else on the platform is standing stock still, their mouths ajar with blank expressions on their faces. Itā€™s almost as if their souls have completely vacated their bodiesā€¦
Were you like that too before you woke up?
You hear voices, and your body immediately goes tense as you turn your head in their direction. A little ways ahead of you, you see a man dressed as a monk conversing with the blue haired person from earlier and before them isā€”
Your heart nearly stops: itā€™s Satoru Gojo, restrained and on his knees.
Honestly, you canā€™t make heads or tails of the conversation theyā€™re having; itā€™s more shounen battle manga nonsense. Satoru Gojo doesnā€™t seem to be enjoying their conversation either, and he interrupts them, clearly annoyed.
ā€œAre we gonna do this or what?ā€ he asks. ā€œThe view sucks and Iā€™m just kinda bored.ā€
ā€œI wanted to enjoy this sight for a little bit longer, but you are right,ā€ the monk says. ā€œI wouldnā€™t want anything to happenā€” gate, close.ā€
When he says that, Satoru Gojoā€™s restraints move, the weirdly shaped cubes at the ends of them closing in around him, trapping him in a giant red cube. It starts to shrink until itā€™s small enough to fit in the monkā€™s hand.
You gulp and hope they donā€™t notice that youā€™re awake. The fact that they havenā€™t slaughtered the rest of the people standing around you is a good sign, but you donā€™t want to find out what happens if they know youā€™re cognizant.
Itā€™s not hard to play the part of a living statue, especially when you compare it to everything else youā€™ve had to suffer through on this night. You watch as the monkā€™s allies, the ones who had attacked everyone on the platform, wake up, but before they can do or say anything, the box holding Satoru Gojo slips through the monkā€™s fingers and makes a dent in the concrete. The look on the monkā€™s face makes it clear that itā€™s a problem he wasnā€™t expecting.
You donā€™t know a damn thing about Satoru Gojo, but you feel like this kind of thing is the norm for him.
The blue haired person suddenly looks in your direction and you nearly stop breathing. Have they noticed you? It takes everything in you to keep perfectly still, in hopes that maybe they didn't, that maybe theyā€™re looking at something else. They raise their arm and it extends, their hand acting like some kind of projectile. You almost shut your eyes and brace yourself for impact, but their hand flies upwards and hits something on the ceiling, destroying it.
Inwardly, you breathe a sigh of reliefā€” youā€™re still safe.
For now.
You listen to their following conversation and while you still donā€™t fully understand everything, itā€™s clear theyā€™re talking about what to do next since theyā€™ve taken care of Satoru Gojo. Something having to do with someone named Yuji Itadori? The group seems split on what to do about him but itā€™s clear heā€™s their next target.
Eventually, everyone but the monk (you heard the blue haired person, who is apparently named Mahito, call him Geto?) runs off, probably to find this Yuji Itadori person. Once theyā€™re gone, Geto speaks and, at first, you think heā€™s talking to you, but it becomes clear heā€™s addressing someone else. ā€œThose cursed spirits are actually smarter than the two of you.ā€
ā€œGive him back!ā€ a voice hidden among the crowd hisses. Your blood runs cold at the sound. You recognize it; itā€™s one of the high school girls from the upper floor.
ā€œWe cooperated with you fully and kept dropping monkeys for you,ā€ says another voice; it must be the other girl that was with her, the one who hung all those people.
ā€œNow give us back Master Getoā€™s body like you promised!ā€
ā€œDonā€™t toy with Master Geto any further than you have!ā€
You blink in confusion. Isnā€™t the monk named Geto? The way the girls are talking it sounds like theyā€™re talking about someone elseā€¦ Is it possible that the body is ā€˜Getoā€™ but the person theyā€™re talking to is someone else possessing it? It sounds kind of crazy, but then again, so is every single thing youā€™ve experienced tonight.
Your suspicions concerning this ā€˜Getoā€™ are confirmed only seconds later as he says, ā€œNow begone, or is it your desire to be killed by this body?ā€
One of the girls vows her revenge and you hear shuffling somewhere else in the crowd as they scurry away. Now you think itā€™s just you and whoever it is thatā€™s puppeting Getoā€™s body. You see him plop down in front of the box (the prison realm, you think heā€™d called it) thatā€™s holding Satoru Gojo.
ā€œYou can come out, you know,ā€ he says after a while.
You freeze. The rest of the platform is completely silent. This time you think he might actually be talking to you.
ā€œI know youā€™re there,ā€ ā€˜Getoā€™ adds, his voice casual. ā€œIf youā€™re insistent on hiding, you should know that Iā€™m not afraid of using whatever means necessary to smoke you out.ā€
Given everything his allies have done, thereā€™s no doubt in your mind that heā€™s serious. You were hoping to hide out among the crowd until he decided to leave, but it looks like you wonā€™t be able to now.
Looks like this loop is a bust after all.
Your heart starts to race as you weave your way through the crowd. In every single one of your loops, you were always treated like a bit character, never noticed or singled out by any of the major players of the night. Although this is your first time encountering this ā€˜Getoā€™ itā€™s clear to you that heā€™s involved with everything thatā€™s happened here and honestly, you get the feeling he might actually be the mastermind behind the massacre.
That makes you even more nervous.
You come to a stop in the place where Satoru Gojo was once kneeling before he was put in that box. Now that youā€™re out in the open, ā€˜Getoā€™ looks you over with some sort of nonchalant curiosity.
ā€œYouā€™reā€¦ā€ he starts, sounding thoughtful, "not a sorcerer, are you?ā€
Sorcerer. You heard that term thrown around by him and his group a few times. Itā€™s what theyā€™ve been referring to their enemies as. It probably wouldnā€™t be smart to lie and say you are one; you get the feeling heā€™d see through your lie anyway. ā€œIā€™m not.ā€
He hums. ā€œHow interesting.ā€
ā€œ...what do you mean?ā€ you ask before you can help yourself.
ā€œItā€™s just you have an abnormally large amount of cursed energy for a non-sorcerer,ā€ he explains. ā€œThough, I suppose that all just sounds like gibberish to you."
You nod and look down at the box lodged in the floor. It has eyes, big creepy looking eyes. "...are you going to do the same thing to me as you did to that man?"
He laughs, "...fortunately for you, the prison realm only holds one person at a time and I need him sealed away more than you."
"...does that mean you're going to leave him in there forever?"
"If I'm feeling nice, I might unseal him in a hundred years or so."
One hundred years? At this point, you've probably lived roughly that amount of time through your loops alone, but for Satoru Gojoā€¦ "Won't he die first?"
"Only if he decides to," 'Geto' says, looking completely and wholly unbothered. "Time doesn't doesn't flow in the box, so when I unseal him, he'll be the same as he was just now. Physically anyway. Who knows how deteriorated his mind will be after all that."
Time doesn't flow in the box.
The words echo in your mind over and over. Time doesn't flow in the box. In other words, that means time has stopped in the box, and if that's the case thenā€”
"Anyway, rather than worry about him, shouldn't you be more worried about yourself?"
You look at 'Geto' and he's smiling at you, it's friendly, but ominous. There's no doubt what is going to happen next, though you had already resigned yourself to this iteration being a bust; it was only a matter of time.
Time doesn't flow in the box.
"I was thinking I might keep you around, even if you arenā€™t a sorcerer, your wealth of cursed energy would serve my plans well," he muses. "Butā€¦ it would be too much trouble trying to teach you how to use it in time."
As he talks, you realize this is probably the first time your death is intentionalā€” every other death you've suffered has just been a byproduct of the ongoing slaughter. You were just another casualty, a victim, never a target.
You're scared.
Even though you know that once he kills you, once you die, you'll just loop back to around 8:30 again. You'll be on the platform again. And you'll play out some sequence of events before you eventually die again. And again and again.
Time doesn't flow in the box.
"I'll be nice, though," 'Geto' says, raising a hand and another monster appears out of nowhere. You donā€™t even bother trying to figure out from where. It doesnā€™t matter, especially since this monster will surely be the one to end your life. "I'll make it painless."
"...I appreciate it," you say and close your eyes hoping that he's not lying about it.
Time doesn't flow in the box.
He didn't lie.
You die again.
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Itā€™s October 31, 2018ā€” Halloween in Shibuya.
And you're trapped.
You don't know how and you don't know why, but you are stuck in a time loopā€” forced to suffer through the horrific events of the night before you die and begin it all again. It's been a long time since you stopped counting how many loops you've gone through, but if you had to guess, it's probably somewhere in the hundreds now.
You are so very tired.
But it doesn't stop. It won't stop no matter what you seem to do. You are stuck. You are trapped. You are doomed.
ā€œTime doesn't flow in the box.ā€
Ever since that first loop where you heard whoever is possessing Geto's body say that, the words have been stuck in your head, playing on loop.
You finally realize why.
ā€œTime doesn't flow in the box.ā€
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It's 8:25PM when you wake up; that should be plenty of time.
You need to find Satoru Gojo.
After hundreds of loops you've come to a singular conclusion: you need to prevent him being sealed in the prison realm. You've witnessed it enough to know that you won't be able to do it alone; you'll need his cooperation.
You rush upstairs as fast as you can, ignoring the shiver that runs down your spine as you step onto the stairwell. According to your previous loops, Satoru Gojo arrives on the subway tracks at 8:40PM. With how crowded the upper floor is, you donā€™t know if youā€™ll have the time to intercept him and talk to him, but if you can at least figure out where to find him, then you can try and talk to him during a subsequent loop.
When you reach the fourth basement floor, however, you donā€™t know where you should even start. Heā€™s pretty tall so you think you could spot him in the crowd, butā€¦ there are still so many people. It occurs to you that maybe it would be better to try and look from a higher vantage point so you head to the stairs that lead up to the third basement floor. You check your phone again. Itā€™s 8:35PM; you need to hurry.
Luckily for you, you find him very easily on the third basement floor.
The only problem is that heā€™s in a hard to reach spotā€” squatting above a sign hanging over the crowd.
You check your phone again. Itā€™s 8:38PM and heā€™s starting to move, presumably to meet with those waiting for him on the subway tracks. Itā€™s good that you found him, but thereā€™s no doubt about it.
Youā€™re going to need more time.
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The moment you wake up, you immediately bolt toward the stairs. It's taken many, many more loops, but you've finally brought the time you wake down to around 8:15. You're still not sure if it's enough time, but there's only one way to find out.
You barrel your way up to the next floor and zig zag through the crowd to get to the next flight of stairs. By the time you get to your destination, you're completely out of breath, your chest heaving as your lungs clamor for air. Youā€™ve done this so many times, yet your body acts like itā€™s always the first. It sucks, but thereā€™s nothing you can do about it. You slow to a brisk pace to catch your breath and check the time. Itā€™s 8:27ā€” a new record. Hopefully itā€™ll be enough.
The goal is to catch Satoru Gojo before he moves to his lookout point above the crowd. While not impossible, it would be difficult for you to follow him there. You eye the safety barricade that blocks off the area where heā€™ll be moving in just a few minutes warily.
Yes, getting over there would be extremely difficult.
You donā€™t want to think about it right now; youā€™ll deal with it when the time comes.
Especially since Satoru Gojo has now entered your field of vision.
Your heart starts to race at the sight of him and it feels like itā€™s beating a million times a second. There isnā€™t a lot of time. You need to talk to him, but your legs only wobble, your feet planted firmly to the ground. This is not good. You need to move. You need to move.
Finally, after what feels like both an instant and an eternity, your feet finally budge, propelling you in Satoru Gojoā€™s direction. The beating of your heart only grows louder as you make your way toward him, mingling with the single thought thatā€™s echoing throughout your mind right now: will he even hear you out?
You need to make him.
ā€œExcuse me!ā€ The words nearly come out in a stutter as you realize that you are actually talking to Satoru Gojo. You have watched this man at a distance for so long that it almost felt like he wasnā€™t real, like he was just another fixture in this nightmare that youā€™ve been living for far too long. And yet, here he is, right in front of you, in the flesh.
And his attention is on you.
All sound stops: the crowd around you, the thoughts in your head, the beat of your heart. Even though you cannot see them through that blindfold of his, you know that Satoru Gojoā€™s eyes are on you and the thought of that, the knowledge of it is actually a little overwhelming. Your mouth is dry and suddenly you donā€™t know what to say, but you need to say something. You need to say something before he thinks maybe you bumped into him by accident and just walks away without a word.
ā€œI need to talk to you!ā€ The words just burst out from your mouth and something about it is just absolutely embarrassing. Youā€™re not sure if it's desperation or the fact that you havenā€™t really talked to anyone other than the existence occupying Suguru Getoā€™s body in nearly forever.
Satoru Gojoā€™s lips slowly start to form a smile, ā€œOh, yeah?ā€
The sound of his voice makes your mind go blank. Thereā€™s something different about it right now; more playful, amused even. Maybe itā€™s because heā€™s talking to you, a harmless human being and not a monster trying to kill him. Itā€™s almost kind of jarring, but you know, with certainty, what Satoru Gojoā€™s voice sounds like. And the fact that heā€™s actually talking to you right now has you kind of excited. You nod, doing your best to not show how thrilled you are that heā€™s not ignoring you.
He hums thoughtfully, ā€œSorryā€¦ but unfortunately I kind of have some business to attend to right now.ā€
ā€œIā€”ā€ You start to say that you know that heā€™s headed down to the platform below to fight withā€¦Choso and Jogo, you think their names areā€” you donā€™t know the name of the monster with the branches for eyes. ā€œItā€™sā€” itā€™s really important!ā€
Gojo tilts his head a little, clearly thinking. You should probably say something else, something to try and convince him to stay a little longer and hear you out, but your mind is both full and blank. Where do you start? From the beginning? Or do you start with what is most important? Maybe you should say what you think will get his attention. Youā€™re not sure, and you realize you really should have thought about this earlier because youā€™re running out of time right now.
ā€œ...mind handing me your phone?ā€
You stare at Gojo, completely and wholly confused, but he just holds out his hand expectantly. When you donā€™t move, he wiggles his fingers a little, a silent gesture telling you to hurry it up. Without thinking, you reach into your bag and unlock your phone before handing it to him.
ā€œKind of sucks that cell service isnā€™t working right now,ā€ he remarks as he types something into your phone before handing it back. ā€œBut! Here's my number.ā€
You look down at your phone and, sure enough, Satoru Gojo has added himself as one of your contacts. Heā€™s even added a little star to the end of his name. Thatā€™sā€¦ a little unexpected. Why his number though?
ā€œAre youā€¦ hitting on me?ā€ you mutter in your confusion.
He laughs, ā€œWell, you said you had something really important to talk to me about, right? So just give me a call when you get home or some time tomorrow and we can talk then!ā€
Youā€™re not going to make it home, or even to tomorrow, and neither will Satoru Gojo. As you start to tell him this, he steps past you. Desperate, you try to grab him, but somehow, for some reason, you canā€™t. You remember he did this with Jogo and the other monster, made himself untouchable.
This is not good.
He gives you a little wave, cheery as he says, ā€œIā€™ll talk to you later!ā€
You watch, helpless as he hops over the barricade beyond your reach.
Gripping your phone tightly, you take a deep breath. It's fine, it's not like you didnā€™t expect things to go well anyway.
You'll just have to try again.
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Every time youā€™ve tried to solicit help from Satoru Gojo, it has gone the same way. He just wonā€™t give you the time of day, and in some ways you canā€™t blame him; heā€™s clearly here to deal with the monsters down on the platform. Youā€™re fairly certain that he probably thinks that whatever is going on with you is a much lesser issue in comparison.
Plus, it probably doesnā€™t help that in the times that youā€™ve approached him, you havenā€™t been able to articulate yourself particularly well. Once you start talking to him, you just get hit with something akin to stage fright and the connection between your mind and your mouth just stops working. Itā€™s gotten better with each attempt, butā€¦
Itā€™s just so frustrating.
It is interesting that Gojo has given you his number every time, star symbol and all. Youā€™re not sure what kind of person you were expecting him to be, but after witnessing him literally and viciously rip monsters apart, youā€™d figured heā€™d be a little more somber. However, in the fragmented conversations youā€™ve had with him heā€™s come off as far more friendly and playful than you would have thought. Is he the type of person to get more serious when the situation calls for it? You canā€™t help but wonder, but ultimately, it doesnā€™t really matter.
What really matters is that youā€™re able to convince him to help you.
You have to convince him.
ā€œExcuse me!ā€ you say, stepping in Satoru Gojoā€™s path. You donā€™t stutter this time, and your voice is more sure. This is good.
ā€œYes?ā€
His head turns in your direction and you gulp. Gojoā€™s gaze, despite that blindfold of his, still feels just as overwhelming as it did the very first time you approached him. You have no doubt that heā€™s sizing you up, but thereā€™s just something about it that makes you feel like youā€™re being picked apart.
You take a deep breath and step closer to him, hoping your voice sounds firm enough as you say, ā€œI need your help. Iā€™m trapped.ā€
He chuckles a little, ā€œI know, but yours truly is on his way to go beat up the bad guys keeping you all trapped here, so soon enough youā€™ll be all free to go on your merry little way.ā€
Right. You were so caught up in your own plight that you nearly forgot that technically youā€™re not the only one ā€˜trapped.ā€™ Satoru Gojo obviously knows that everyone else is confined to this station, but you doubt he knows that youā€™re confined to this night alone.
ā€œThatā€™s not what I mean!ā€ you sputter.
ā€œThen what do you mean?ā€ Gojo asks. Should you tell him that you mean that youā€™re trapped in a time loop? Youā€™re honestly not sureā€” in the movies and manga youā€™ve read about time travel, revealing that sort of thing risks creating a time paradox which seems to be a bad thing. If you have to tell him, you will, butā€” ā€œOh, I get it.ā€
You stare, bewildered. Did you maybe just spew all of that aloud?
Gojo gives you a mischievous smile. ā€œYouā€™re hitting on me, arenā€™t you?ā€
ā€œNo!ā€ The word comes flying out of your mouth. You canā€™t deny heā€™s attractiveā€” youā€™ve thought it all this time, but that is not whatā€™s happening here.
ā€œNo need to be embarrassed,ā€ he continues, ignoring you. ā€œI totally get it, so if you want, Iā€™d be happy to give you my number!ā€
Again? Youā€™ve received Satoru Gojoā€™s contact details in every loop youā€™ve talked to him, star symbol and allā€” you even have his number memorized. Thereā€™s something kind of odd about how he keeps giving you his number. Part of you wonders if heā€™s got some sort of ulterior motive, but you havenā€™t thought too deeply about it. There are way more important things going on.
ā€œI donā€™t need your phone number,ā€ you say. ā€œI need to talk.ā€
Your response seems to give Gojo pause. Did you somehow manage to get through to him? No way. Your suspicions are all but confirmed when he gives you that familiar apologetic smile.
ā€œLike, I said, Iā€™m sort of in the middle of something, butā€¦ā€ Gojo reaches into his pockets and rummages around until one hand fishes out a folded up piece of paper. The other hand keeps digging around in his pocket and when Gojo seems to give up on whatever heā€™s looking for, he turns his attention back to you. ā€œGot a pen?ā€
What?
Gojo tilts his head. ā€œWell?ā€
ā€œI do, butā€¦ā€ You trail off, unsure why heā€™s asking.
He holds out his hand waiting for you to just hand him the pen. You still donā€™t get it, but you reach into your bagā€™s front pocket and pull out the pen and hand it to him. Gojo looks almost like an excited child when he takes it from you, quickly scribbling something onto his paper before shoving it and your pen back into your hand.
You look at the paper; it looks like a receipt. For a disturbing amount of mochi that Gojo bought earlier today. The amount of money he spent is almost sickening; way too much to be paying for mochi. More importantly, you notice something juxtaposed over the receiptā€™s print.
Itā€™s Satoru Gojoā€™s name and number.
He even drew a little star next to his name.
ā€œIf you change your mind later, just give me a call!ā€ he tells you cheerily. ā€œI promise Iā€™ll make it worth your while!ā€
You gawk at him. He cannot be serious. You literally just told him that you didnā€™t need it and yet he still gave it to you. He must want you to contact him later, but you canā€™t even begin to understand why. It canā€™t have been something you said or did, right? Unless, heā€™s actuallyā€”
ā€œLater!ā€ Gojoā€™s voice cuts through your thoughts and you notice him walking off with a wave.
You canā€™t let him get away.
Again.
You crush the receipt in your hand and rush after him. Despite the crowd, Gojo seems to move through the people with ease and it almost seems like they are yielding to him naturally. Itā€™s good for you. Makes him easier to chase.
ā€œWait!ā€ you yell, but Gojo doesnā€™t even look back. Bastard. Your muscles strain as you try to run faster. You know you wonā€™t be able to grab him if you get to him, but there has to still be something you can do to stop him. Circle around him? Cut him off before heā€”
Satoru Gojo reaches the barricade.
ā€œWait!ā€ you yell again. ā€œSatoru Gojo, wait!ā€
He does not even acknowledge you.
Youā€™re almost there though. Almost. If you reach out your hand, then maybe, maybe you can grab him. Something in your head tells you that itā€™s useless; youā€™ve never been able to touch him. But, you donā€™t care, you donā€™t care because you have to try. You stretch out your hand, desperate and hoping, but just as you do, Gojo effortlessly jumps over the barricade, moving to survey the crowd.
Due to your momentum, you almost collide into the barricade, but you manage to stop yourself. You stare at Satoru Gojo through the glass. He watches the crowd for at most three minutes. Is this just another bust? Is there really nothing you can do? There must be a way you can get his attention. Is it possible to climb over the barricade? No, itā€™s too high. Thereā€™s nothing you can grasp onto or use as footing either.
This fucking sucks.
Another minute or two and Gojo will be on the move again, and there will be no way you can follow, no way you can get his attention. You press your hands against the glass, pushing against it. Naturally, it doesnā€™t budge. Why would it? If only you could get it out of the way. If only you could break it. This stupid barricade is the only thing between you and Satoru Gojo and thereā€™s no way you can climb it, but if only you could break it.
If only you could fucking break it.
Suddenly, the glass feels warm. Satoru Gojoā€™s image starts to look a little distorted as the warmth beneath your fingers grows. Something is happening. The glass starts to vibrate and shake. Violently. The tremors grow stronger and stronger. You should stop. You should back away.
You donā€™t.
The barricade starts to crack and fracture and soon the sound of shattering glass resounds throughout the entire room. Everyone starts screaming. No one knows whatā€™s going onā€” not even you. But you donā€™t care. Itā€™s gone. The barricade is gone.
You take a step forward, toward Satoru Gojo. Heā€™s on a beam thatā€™s about a two meter drop from where youā€™re standing. Thatā€™s fine. Thatā€™s okay. You can make it. You have to. Without a second thought, you jumpā€”
And you land on the beam. You look up and Satoru Gojoā€™s attention is back on you. Heā€™s finally, finally turned toward you, face twisted into an expression you canā€™t decipher or even comprehend, butā€”
Somethingā€™s wrong; your world is turning on its axis, butā€”
Satoru Gojo is looking at you, andā€”
Up is very quickly becoming down, andā€”
Satoru Gojo is coming closer, butā€”
Youā€™re slippingā€”
But heā€™s right there, andā€”
Youā€™re falling, butā€”
Heā€™s trying to catch you, butā€”
Itā€™s too late. Itā€™s too late.
The last thing you think you feelā€”
ā€”is Satoru Gojoā€™s arms around you.
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Itā€™s October 31, 2018ā€” Halloween in Shibuya.
And you are causing a commotion.
ā€œShit! Fuck!ā€ you curse loudly. The people near you start to shift away but you barely notice; you donā€™t really care.
You were so close, so fucking close and yetā€¦ yet here you are again. Itā€™s quarter past eight and you are back on the goddamn platform. You donā€™t know what happened; you remember falling and thinking you were going to die, but you are absolutely certain that, once again, this time, you didnā€™t die.
Is Satoru Gojo at fault again? Did he do something? Like he did all those other times you looped without dying? When you think about it more, you donā€™t think so. You donā€™t know what happened; all you know is that you tried to get to him, but you slipped.
And he caught you, you definitely remember that.
You still donā€™t understand why you looped, but thereā€™s not much you can do about it now; itā€™s not like you can go back anymore. It just sucks, because you think he might have actually listened if youā€™d talked to him.
Or he would have come after you forā€¦ whatever happened with the barricade. It could have been taken as an attack on the crowdā€¦ But if he thought you were doing that, then why would he catch you?
You donā€™t know.
All you know is that you have to try again.
The only problem is that you donā€™t know how you managed to shatter the barricade. You think about it as you make your way up to where youā€™ll find Satoru Gojo. There is the possibility that it wasnā€™t you and something else happened to it instead, but that feels way too coincidental. It had to be you. Thatā€™s the only thing that makes sense. You just canā€™t figure out how you did it outside of wanting, wishing, praying for the barricade to break. Itā€™s not like you have supernatural powers like Satoru Gojo and his enemies.
Despite your mind being completely and wholly occupied by trying to figure out how in the world you managed to break through that barricade, you still manage to make it to the second basement floor of Shibuya Hikarie by 8:25PMā€” a brand new record. Satoru Gojo doesnā€™t show up until around 8:34PM, so that gives you almost ten minutes to try and figure out what you need to do to try and replicate shattering the glass barricade again.
Exceptā€”
Except Satoru Gojo is already here.
The thought that maybe youā€™re mistaken flashes in your mind before itā€™s quickly dismissed; thereā€™s no way youā€™d mistake anyone else for him. There is absolutely no denying it: that is Satoru Gojo. Bewildered, you double check the time on your phone. Maybe you misread it and youā€™re actually late but sure enough you read it rightā€” Satoru Gojo is here early.
What the hell is going on?
Of the thousands of times you have experienced this night, this hell, this sort of thing has never happened before. Everything happens at a specific time, as if adhering to an unseen schedule. Itā€™s likely that what happened in your last iteration did delay Satoru Gojoā€™s arrival onto the platform, but other than that there has never been a deviation to the time table.
And yet, here Satoru Gojo is, nine minutes early now.
You realize that thatā€™s not the only thing thatā€™s strange: heā€™s not moving. In previous rounds, when you encounter Gojo here, heā€™s walking to the lookout spot beyond the barricade. But, right now, heā€™s just standing there, hands stuffed in the pockets of his jacket. It almost looks like he's waiting for something.
Or someone.
This unexpected turn of events has you rooted to the spot. Youā€™re not sure what you should do. No. This shouldnā€™t change anything. You need to talk to him. As concerning as a change like this is, the extra time it gives you should be a good thing. Despite knowing that, your feet are still firmly planted to the ground.
The crowd shifts and you see Satoru Gojo start to move. Toward the barricade? No. Heā€™s not heading in his usual direction, rather heā€™sā€”
You stop breathing.
Heā€™s headed toward you.
All sound stops: the crowd around you, the thoughts in your head, the beat of your heart. Even though you cannot see them through that blindfold of his, you know that Satoru Gojoā€™s eyes are on you and the thought of that, the knowledge of it is absolutely mind numbing.
He comes to a stop before you, lips curled up to form an amused sort of smile as he says, ā€œSoooo, you needed to talk to me?ā€
You try to answer but no words come out of your mouth. Are you dreaming? You have to be, right? There's no way that this is actually happening. Could it be that, after thousands of loops, youā€™ve finally lost it? Your mind shattering along with the glass of the barricade at the end of the last one?
Gojo tilts his head, indicating that he's still waiting for an answer. When you open your mouth, at first, nothing comes out, the words stuck in your throat. You force them out, your voice cracking, ā€œ...how did you know?ā€
He smiles, looking almost mischievous as he reaches up and lightly taps the side of his head. ā€œI remembered, of course!ā€
All you can do is stare at Satoru Gojo. He remembered? How is that possible? From his perspective, this is the first time youā€™ve met and while it shouldnā€™t be possible for him to remember thereā€™s something in your mind thatā€™s keeping you from completely dismissing the possibility.
Gojo laughs, ā€œI take it from the look on your face that youā€™re not used to this sort of thing happening. Is this the first time?ā€
ā€œNo.ā€ The fact that the word is out of your mouth before you can even really think about it surprises you and you really have to think. Your face scrunches together as you try to remember. Is this really not the first time? Then, the memories assault you, overlapping as they replay simultaneously in your headā€” a woman in a yellow and white magical girl costumeā€” begging you for help as she burns to deathā€” smiling as she tells you she made her costume herself. ā€œ...it happened just once a long time ago.ā€
ā€œā€˜A long time ago,ā€™ huh. Sounds like you've been at this for a while now.ā€
ā€œ...unfortunately.ā€
Gojo hums. ā€œSo when you said you didnā€™t need my phone numberā€¦ā€
ā€œYouā€™d already given it to me a few times,ā€ you say, figuring thatā€™s where this conversation is going.
ā€œReally now?ā€
Does he not believe you? Or is he just being an ass? Youā€™re not sure, but since you had taken the liberty of memorizing Satoru Gojoā€™s phone number you recite it back to him to prove your point.
Just when you think you may have stunned Gojo into silence he starts to laugh, obviously finding something funny about the fact that you know his cell phone number. ā€œSeems like you've got quite the fascinating technique there.ā€
Technique? What is he talking about? Your confusion must be plain on your face because he adds, elaborating, ā€œThe time travel.ā€
You continue to stare at him. You don't think you'd consider what you've been going through time travel, because traveling implies moving from point A to point B, but you've been stuck walking in circles at point A for a long time. What really gets you isā€¦ ā€œWhat do you mean by ā€˜technique?ā€™ā€
ā€œYou mean you donā€™tā€” oh. I get it; no wonder youā€™re trapped.ā€
That does not answer your question in the slightest. ā€œCan you please explain what you're talking about? What do you mean by ā€˜technique?ā€™ā€
ā€œRight, rightā€¦ So basically, a technique is like a special sort of power,ā€ he finally explains. ā€œLike I said, your technique seems to be a kind of time travel. Whenever you activate it, your mind is sent back in time.ā€
What he's saying makes sense, butā€¦ ā€œHow come you were sent back too?ā€
He laughs again. ā€œIsn't it obvious? Think back to beforeā€” do you remember that I caught you as you were falling?ā€
You nod slowly. The memory of his arms around you is almost embarrassingly vivid. ā€œ...is it because we were touching?ā€
ā€œDing, ding, ding! That's correct! Anyone you happen to be touching when you activate your technique gets affected by it too!ā€
Something about his tone annoys you, but you try to ignore it. He could have just told you rather than make you guess. ā€œHow do you know that for sure?ā€
ā€œWell,ā€ he continues. ā€œYouā€™ve done your little time loop a bunch of times, right? If your technique affected everyone, or even a few people in a select range you would have noticed for sure. And if it affected only just you then we wouldnā€™t be having this conversation right now, now would we?ā€
When you think about it, you do think that the woman in the magical girl costume might have bumped into you before the loop where she remembered.
ā€œThatā€™s honestly just conjecture, but I've got pretty good eyes, so Iā€™m hardly ever wrong.ā€
Gojo gives you a grin and while you do think that his reasoning is sound enough his confidence is a little grating. More than that, though, youā€™re glad that this conversation is actually going really well.
ā€œEither way,ā€ he says thoughtfully. ā€œIt doesnā€™t look like you can control your technique. Usually a personā€™s technique manifests when theyā€™re a kid, but you seem to be a special caseā€¦ in fact, I bet your technique activated for the very first time tonightā€” probably under some pretty extreme circumstances, too.ā€
ā€œ...dying counts as an ā€˜extreme circumstance,ā€™ right?ā€
ā€œOh, absolutely. Or legitimately thinking that youā€™re gonna die, but it seems like your body has been unconsciously activating your technique as a sort of defense mechanism. Which is why youā€™re trapped.ā€
ā€œSo, if I could control it Iā€™d be able to make it out of this time loop.ā€
ā€œYeah, but in this case it probably wouldnā€™t end very well for you,ā€ he points out with a chuckle. ā€œItā€™s not like you actually want to die, right? I mean, if you did, then your technique wouldnā€™t even activate in the first place.ā€
You donā€™t; what you want is for this night to finally end. To be free from the endless cycle of dying over and over again and again. You donā€™t think death is quite the answer; even if you were to learn how to control this supposed technique of yours, thereā€™s no guarantee that you would just unconsciously activate it when the grim reaper comes knocking on your door. No, the answer isā€¦
ā€œAnyway!ā€ Gojoā€™s cheery voice cuts through your thoughts. ā€œI highly doubt that youā€™re the type that makes a habit of jumping off ledges for the funsies, so the fact that youā€™ve been dying tells me that some pretty gruesome stuff is about to go down, so, tell me what happens tonight.ā€
The sudden drop of his voice sends a shiver running down your spine. If it werenā€™t for the fact that youā€™ve seen how serious Gojo can get, the sudden shift in demeanor would probably freak you out a bit, but it doesnā€™t. This is the Satoru Gojo youā€™re familiar with.
You do have one concern though. ā€œThatā€¦ wonā€™t create a time paradox or anything, will it?ā€
ā€œNah,ā€ Gojo shrugs. ā€œYou wouldnā€™t cause one with the way your technique works, besides, if youā€™ve only been going back at most an hour or two in time itā€™s hard to believe youā€™d be making a really big impactā€¦ unless you really believe in the butterfly effect.ā€
Youā€™re still not quite sure.
ā€œTrust me, itā€™ll be fine.ā€
His voice sounds strange. Gentle. Kind. It's the most soothing thing you've heard in a long time and it makes you want to believe him.
ā€œ...okay.ā€
Anxiety is still gripping at you, but you try to dispel it, taking a deep breath before beginning your explanation. For the sake of brevity, itā€™s probably best that youā€™re as concise as possible. There isnā€™t much need to really get into the nitty gritty of things unless he asks specifically.
Naturally, you begin with his arrival onto the platform and how soon after a fight breaks out and how the crowd is unfortunate enough to be involved. Gojoā€™s expression is passive for the most part, but he does crack the faintest hint of a smile when you mention how he manages to eviscerate one of the monsters.
It disappears once you tell him about the arrival of the train. Between the dozens upon dozens of people being dropped onto the platform by those two high school girls and the hoard of monsters disembarking from the train, everything devolves into pandemonium.
ā€œWait,ā€ Gojo holds a hand up and you pause. This is his first interruption since you started recounting the nightā€™s events for him. ā€œEveryone is able to see the monsters?ā€
You stare at him. What a weird question. ā€œ...yeah?ā€
His mouth twists and it looks like heā€™s thinking about something. You canā€™t even begin to imagine what. Finally, he comments, ā€œMakes sense.ā€
It does not, but you donā€™t ask him to elaborate. Surely if it was important he would have just done so.
ā€œAnyway, in the middle of all that, youā€¦ you do something.ā€ Your brows bunch together as you remember the stance Gojo took, the crazed and desperate look in his eyes, the feeling of your head about to explode. ā€œI donā€™t know how to describe it. At first, it would just force me toā€¦ activate my technique, I guess. But now, it just knocks me out for a few minutes.ā€
Gojo frowns and he rubs at his chin, obviously thinking about what youā€™ve said. Eventually, he raises a hand and bends his fingers into a familiar gesture. Itā€™s the one that preludes whatever he does on the platform. ā€œDo I do this?ā€
ā€œYeah.ā€
He hums. ā€œInteresting.ā€
You wait to see if heā€™ll explain. He doesnā€™t. Great. Even if he doesnā€™t think you need to know, it certainly would be nice to. Itā€™s annoying otherwise, but you ignore the feeling and continue. ā€œI canā€™t tell you what happens when Iā€™m knocked out, but when I come to everyone is basically a zombie and all the monsters from the train are gone. I think you kill them.ā€
ā€œI probably do,ā€ he says casually. ā€œBut what about Volcano Head?ā€
ā€œ...you don'tā€¦get a chance to kill him,ā€ you say slowly. Gojo tilts his head, waiting for you to elaborate, but you hesitate. You have to tell him, you know you do, butā€¦
You have seen the interaction so many times and though you don't know the exact nature of the relationship between them, you can tell that seeing Suguru Geto (or rather seeing his body) shook Satoru Gojo to his very core.
There's no doubt in your mind that he will not take this news well.
ā€œCome on now,ā€ Gojo's tone is light-hearted, unaware. ā€œDon't keep me in suspense here.ā€
It's as if you're withholding the punchline to a joke. In a way, you suppose you are, but you don't think he's going to find it funny.
You take a deep breath. You need to tell him. The worst thing that could happen is that he doesn't believe you, but if that's the caseā€¦ you'll probably just end up repeating this all again until you find a loop where he does.
Having made it this far, you'd like to avoid all that.
ā€œBefore you can get Volcano Head you get restrained by something called the prison realm,ā€ you say slowly, ā€œby someone calling themselvesā€¦ Suguru Geto.ā€
The second the name leaves your mouth, there is a clear and obvious shift in the air. Gone is Gojoā€™s laid-back and frivolous demeanor, replaced with something more somber and almost frightening. The tension grows more and more palpable to the point that you think it might almost choke you.
You almost wish that it would.
ā€œYou canā€™t be serious,ā€ Gojo finally says, once your words have fully sunk in.
ā€œIā€”ā€ You start to speak, but come to an abrupt stop when you see him shove his hand into his pocket to yank out his phone of all things.
The both of you know full well that thereā€™s no reception here, but you donā€™t think that heā€™s planning on making any calls. Gojo scrolls and scrolls on his phone before he stops and shoves the screen in your face. It shows a picture of three peopleā€” a teenage girl with a cigarette in her mouth, a younger, happier version of Gojo sporting a pair of round sunglasses andā€”
ā€œWhen you say ā€˜Getoā€™ is this who youā€™re referring to?ā€ Gojo demands, using his other hand to point at the third person in the frameā€” a handsome young man with long dark hair pulled up into a bun.
ā€œYes, butā€”ā€
ā€œThatā€™s impossible. It canā€™t be him,ā€ Gojo interrupts, his voice firm, cold even. ā€œHeā€™s dead.ā€
Thereā€™s a note of finality in his words that is definitely meant to leave no room for argument. It doesnā€™t stop you, though. Instead, you glare at Gojoā€™s stupid blindfold and say, ā€œ...being dead doesnā€™t mean a damn thing! Iā€™ve died hundreds of times and yet Iā€™m still fucking here, butā€”ā€
ā€œYour situation is different,ā€ he interjects, the temperature of his tone hiking up, his words like heated hissing. ā€œI killed him almost a year ago. There's no wayā€”ā€
ā€œYou didn't get rid of the body properly!ā€ You cut him off, raising your voice in hopes that he'll take even just a second to stop and listen. It seems to work and you add something you remember ā€˜Getoā€™ saying. ā€œYou should have had Shoko Ieiri get rid of it, but you didnā€™t and now someā€¦ some kind of gross brain thing is possessing the corpse!ā€
The air between you both is silent as the grave. Though you can't see it, you can feel the weight of his gaze pressing down on you. Heā€™s definitely having second thoughts about everything youā€™ve said so far. Thereā€™s a chance he might even think youā€™re his enemy now. You stare him down though, refusing to look away. Youā€™ve made it this far, you canā€™tā€” you wonā€™t back down.
ā€œ...youā€™re not lying, are you.ā€ Gojoā€™s words are more of a statement than a question. Thereā€™s no doubt in your mind that he knows the answer, and yet heā€™s still asking. You wonder if maybe heā€™s clinging onto some vain hope that maybe, just maybe this all a sick, cruel joke thatā€™s gone way too far.
ā€œIā€™m not.ā€
Gojo holds your gaze for a second longer before he lets out a curse. ā€œFuck!ā€
ā€œ...Iā€™m sorry,ā€ you say quietly, mostly because it feels like the most correct thing to say at this moment. You donā€™t know the whole story, but it seems like they were close. If so, then it must have hurt Gojo a lot to have killed him, and must hurt even more to know that someone is desecrating the body. You hate that you, a complete and utter stranger, happened to be the person to tell him, butā€¦
It had to be done, for the sake of getting past this unending night, it had to be done.
Gojo runs a hand through his hair and lets out a ragged sigh. ā€œOkay. What happens after that?ā€
You give him a rundown of what follows; he gets sealed, the monsters wake up and all but ā€˜Getoā€™ leave in search of their next target. When you mention the high school girls demanding the brain give Getoā€™s body back, Gojo snorts loudly.
ā€œFat chance of that,ā€ he says derisively.
You nod in agreement. It was clear to you that the brain parasite has no intent on giving it up any time soon. ā€œAfter they leave, heā€¦ talks to me.ā€
ā€œProbably couldn't ignore all that cursed energy you have,ā€ Gojo remarks offhandedly.
You stare at him, expression twisted in a way that shows that you have absolutely no clue what that means. It should be fine for you to ask this one question; it actually concerns you after all. ā€œWhat does that even mean?ā€
ā€œExactly what it sounds like, thoughā€¦ probably doesn't make much sense to you, does it?ā€
You give him a pointed glare and all Gojo does is laugh.
ā€œJust think of it like having a lot of MP.ā€
ā€œ...Like in a video game?ā€
ā€œExactly!ā€ Then, Gojo tilts his head, clearly thinking. You don't bother asking; you don't feel like he'll explain.
ā€œHe does ask me if I'm a sorcerer, whatever that is. Is that why?ā€
ā€œProbably. Ordinary people don't have even a fraction of the energy you're packing.ā€
ā€˜Ordinary peopleā€™ he says as if youā€™re not an ordinary person who got caught up in all this supernatural sorcery bullshit. Or at least you were, but if the time loops are really a product of your own doingā€¦
ā€œDoes he kill you when you answer?ā€ Gojo asks to get the conversation back on track.
ā€œNot right away. What happens next kind of varies,ā€ you answer. ā€œHe usually lets me have a question or two before he kills me; I've asked him a couple different things.ā€
ā€œReally taking advantage, arenā€™t you?ā€ Gojo says and you're not sure what to make of his tone. Is he mocking you or is he easing back into that laid-back persona of his?
ā€œIf Iā€™m doomed to repeat the same situation over and over, I might as well make the most of it,ā€ you respond flatly.
ā€œYou know, your technique kind of reminds me of save scumming.ā€
Heā€™s definitely gone back to acting almost completely unseriousā€” all signs of his earlier agitation are nearly gone.
ā€œSo what did you learn?ā€
ā€œWell, the prison realm only holds one occupant. Once theyā€™re sealed, time stops for them and the only way out is if the bearer unseals them or if they choose to kill themselves.ā€
ā€œI seeā€¦ And what about our body jacker?ā€
ā€œHe didnā€™t go into detail but he said something aboutā€¦ striving toward the evolution of mankind?ā€ You frown a little at the memory. He didnā€™t explain further because he said that you wouldnā€™t understand.
ā€œHuh. Interesting. Wonder how he was gonna go about doing that.ā€
ā€œI don't know, but I can't imagine you'd like it since he goes out of his way to seal you into that box,ā€ you say. ā€œSaid youā€™d get in the way because youā€™re too strong.ā€
Gojo shrugs his shoulders and grins a little. Cocky. ā€œWell, I am the strongest sorcerer around, you know.ā€
You would think him overconfident if you hadn't seen the magnitude of his strength first hand.
ā€œAnyway, that's as far as I ever go. When he's decided heā€™s done talking to me, he kills me and I loop back.ā€
ā€œSo, in short, what you want help with is getting past that point, right?ā€
ā€œMore or less.ā€
ā€œAnd all I have to do is avoid getting caught by the prison realm?ā€
You nod.
ā€œWhatā€™s it look like?ā€ he asks. ā€œA big cage with a bunch of metal bars?ā€
Now that you think about it, you havenā€™t woken up early enough to see it before it traps him, but you canā€™t imagine it looks that much different. ā€œNo.. Itā€™s a small box with eyesā€¦ It gets big enough to fit you in it, though.ā€
ā€œHuh.ā€ He stretches his arms out above his head as if heā€™s trying to emphasize how large he actually is and shoots you a grin. ā€œShould be easy enough then. I bet our body snatcher used the shock of seeing Suguru to trap me but since I'll see it coming, avoiding it'll be a piece of cake.ā€
Gojo makes it sound so easy, and maybe it really is as simple as that, but you can't help but be worried still.
ā€œDon't tell me you don't think I can do it,ā€ he says, tilting his head.
ā€œIt's not that,ā€ you admit. ā€œI'm just concerned I might die before we can get to that point.ā€
Truthfully, since you know that will just result in another loop you're less concerned with dying itself and more worried about losing the progress you've made in convincing Gojo to help you. Even though it's been clearly proven you can loop him as well, there's no guarantee you'll be able to make the physical contact needed to do it upon death.
ā€œYou've made it pretty far on your own, though, right?ā€
ā€œYeah, butā€¦ Iā€™ve messed up plenty of times.ā€ More than you can even count. ā€œThere's also the possibility that taking the time to talk to you might have thrown things out of whack.ā€
Speaking of time, you check your phone. It's 8:39PM. You curse.
Gojo leans over to check your phone. ā€œLet me guess, I'm supposed to be somewhere right now.ā€
ā€œYeah, this is when youā€™re descending down onto the platform.ā€
ā€œYou know where I am down to the exact minute?ā€ He asks and you tilt your head back and forth a little. Itā€™s not exact per se, but itā€™s close enough. Gojo chuckles a little. ā€œMan, I didnā€™t realize that you were actually that into me.ā€
That earns Gojo a glare from you, but he just laughs it off. ā€œI doubt being a few minutes late is going to make a big difference.ā€
You certainly hope so.
ā€œDon't worry,ā€ Gojo says and you notice he's using that tone from earlier. ā€œYou won't die.ā€
Itā€™s hard to argue with him when he uses such a reassuring sounding voice and yet, you still open your mouth to tryā€” to voice your doubts, but what he says next silences you before you even can.
ā€œI'll protect you.ā€
You think your heart stops beating in your chest and your words dissolve in your throat.
He grins at you. ā€œDid you fall in love with me just now?ā€
That catches you a little off guard. You're willing to admit he's hot, but surely he must be joking. ā€œHow could you even think of something like that at a time like this?ā€
Gojo laughs again. ā€œWell, since someone is so worried about their time table being all messed up, I better head down there; canā€™t keep Volcano Head and friends waiting, right?ā€
You blink. Is that it? ā€œWait, shouldnā€™t we make a plan or something?ā€
ā€œIsnā€™t the plan for me to not get caught in the prison realm?ā€
Yes, butā€¦ ā€œBut what about me? Is there anything I can do?ā€
Gojo stares at you, or at least you think he does. ā€œ...I donā€™t know, is there?ā€
Youā€™ve seen the encounter between Satoru Gojo and those monsters so many times and you try to picture a version of it where you intervene andā€¦ all you can see is yourself getting in his way. Youā€™re no fighter, noā€¦ sorcerer, or whatever he is, youā€™re just some ordinary person that was unfortunate enough to get all caught up in this mess. The most you can probably do is kick the prison realm out of the way when the time comes, but otherwiseā€¦ ā€œ...no, I guess not.ā€
His expression turns sympathetic. ā€œYouā€™ve done plenty by telling me everything that happens. So just wait up here, and let me handle the monsters.ā€
You almost nod. Almost. But then you remember what transpires up here above the platform. You know it sounds safer up here where youā€™re less likely to get involved in the carnage, butā€¦ ā€œWait, no, if I stay up here then Iā€™ll fall to my death when those girlsā€”ā€
Gojo laughs, interrupting you. ā€œDonā€™t worry about that. Itā€™ll be fine.ā€
ā€œHow?ā€
ā€œJust trust me.ā€
ā€œIā€¦ā€ Itā€™s hard to. After everything youā€™ve gone through itā€™s hard to trust in anything, to believe in anything. Even though youā€™ve made it this far this time, the worry that something will go wrong and that youā€™ll have to do it all again still lurks in the back of your mind.
Despite all that, you want to believe.
You want to believe that you can make it past this unending night, that one day youā€™ll wake up and itā€™ll no longer be October 31, 2018. And the first step towards that is trusting in Satoru Gojo.
ā€œ...okay,ā€ you say quietly. ā€œOkay.ā€
Gojo chuckles then asks, ā€œAnything else before I head off?ā€
You start to ask if thereā€™s anything you should say, in case things donā€™t work out, but you stop yourself. Youā€™re choosing to trust him, to believe in himā€” you can figure out that stuff later if things end up going south after all. So, instead you give him a smile and it feels a little weird because you donā€™t remember the last time you did. ā€œGood luck!ā€
For a split second, Gojo looks almost surprised, but then he laughs again, beaming widely at you. He starts to move past you and reaches out to give you what you think is meant to be a reassuring squeeze of the shoulder and then heā€™s off. You turn to watch him go, the crowd, once again, parting almost naturally for him.
When he reaches the barricade, he pauses, raising his hand as if heā€™s giving you one last wave. Then he jumps over it onto his little perch and then less than a minute later heā€™s gone, descending to the platform below.
Now, all you can do is wait.
You check your phone again and itā€™s 8:44PM. If you remember correctly, the high school girls start threatening everyone right before 9PM. With Gojoā€™s arrival being shifted back almost five minutes, does that mean that theyā€™ll be shifted back too? It would make sense, but youā€™re not too sure.
Out of habit, you keep checking your phone and at nearly 9PM, you hear the shrill voice of one of the girls over the crowd, commanding everyone to do what she says, her partner stringing up bodies until everyone listens. Everything plays out just as you remember it, which is mildly comforting, though you know that the events that happen up here are more or less independent from what happens below.
Surely, just as Gojo said, a few minutes arenā€™t going to change anything, butā€”
No.
You agreed to trust him. To trust that everything would be fine.
When the girls start to demand that as many people as possible climb onto the roots and vines covering the atrium your heart starts to hammer in your chest. In just a few minutes, all the foliage will disintegrate beneath you, and you and everyone else here will fall into the abyss below.
You are afraid.
There isnā€™t a single loop where youā€™ve really survived this fall. If you donā€™t die in midair, you die right after landing. Itā€™s a death trap, and thatā€™s why youā€™ve stopped coming up here. Thereā€™s a part of you, the part that knows whatā€™s about to happen, that wants to try and run back onto stable footing. But you canā€™t, because you know if you do then the girls will kill you for sure; you have to stay.
Itā€™ll be fine, you tell yourself, itā€™ll be okay.
You just have to trust Gojo.
An eight car train is pulling in. Please wait behind the yellow line.
You hear the announcement faintly below you. Itā€™s almost time. You brace yourself and try to stay calm. Gojo said he would protect you, that you wouldnā€™t die. You donā€™t know how he intends to keep that promise, but all you can do is believe in his words.
Itā€™ll be fine. Itā€™ll be okay.
The vines and roots start to crack and the ground beneath you starts to give out. You squeeze your eyes shut as that sickening weightless feeling overtakes you. It occurs to you that this is actually quite literally a trust fallā€” will Satoru Gojo really be able to catch you?
As you fall, you realize almost instantly that something is different.
Youā€™ve experienced this fall dozens of times and so, even though it has been a while since youā€™ve gone this route, you are very familiar with what it feels like. Something is different. Youā€™re falling faster. The trajectory is changing. Itā€™s like some force, other than gravity, is pulling at you.
Is this Gojoā€™s doing?
Just as your body collides with the ground you hear the sounds of mutilating flesh meld with the screams surrounding you. Blood and severed limbs litter the ground, but you try to ignore it. You need to focus on your own survival right now. Quickly, you scramble to your feet scan the area around you; youā€™re on the platform right now and right in front of you isā€”
Right in front of you is Satoru Gojo.
His back is turned to you, his focus currently elsewhere. Looking at him you realize you recognize this scene, though itā€™s much closer and at a different angle. Heā€™s about to do that thing, that thing that knocks you out.
Something in you tells you to move closer to him, after all, he used his mysterious powers to deliberately bring you closer to him, right? You rush toward him and as you do something he said earlier pops up in your mind.
Anyone you happen to be touching when you activate your technique gets affected by it too!
Whatever heā€™s about to doā€¦ Is that his ā€˜technique?ā€™ And if it is, would it work the same way as yours? If so, thereā€™s only one way to find out: you need to touch him. You dodge monsters and other people as you run toward Satoru Gojo andā€”
A monster still manages to grab you, its large hands wrapping around your wrist. You try and yank it free, but it's much stronger than you are.
ā€œShit!ā€ you hiss as the monster starts to pull you toward it and away from Gojo. What do you do? Your other hand is still free, should you try to punch it in the face? Orā€”
Before you can do anything, something blasts the monsterā€™s head clean off. Shocked, you stare as the monsterā€™s body slumps onto the ground, its grip loosening on you instantly. You whip your head around to find that while Gojo still has his back to you, his arm is bent back in your direction, his palm open as if he fired some invisible blast from it.
Then you feel it again, something pulling at you, but this time it's more forceful. Your body is yanked toward Gojo and the second you feel his hand press against you, you see him make that gesture with his other hand.
ā€œDomain Expansion,ā€ he whispers in a strained voice. ā€œInfinite Void!ā€
Something happens and your vision flashes for a fraction of a second. And thenā€”
The room is enveloped in an eerie stillness; all the violence and bloodshed coming to an abrupt stop. Monsters and humans alike stand like the living dead, unconscious with their eyes wide open as if they are staring into an infinite abyss. You recognize this scene, youā€™re familiar with it because itā€™s similar to the one you wake up to after being hit by Gojoā€™s ā€˜domain expansion.ā€™ The only difference is the presence of the monsters, who are all but gone when you regain consciousness.
The pressure from Gojoā€™s hand is gone and he says to you, his voice still low. ā€œIf youā€™re squeamish when it comes to blood and gore, it might be best for you to close your eyes.ā€
And then heā€™s gone.
You do not take his advice. You do not close your eyes. How many loops were you unable to witness whatā€™s about to unfold? A few hundred? A few thousand? And if all goes to plan, then you will never get another chance again: thereā€™s no way you could possibly look away.
And what you see unfold before you is that Satoru Gojo was right.
He is the one to kill all the monsters.
Itā€™s not as if you really had any doubt, after all, it seemed like the most logical conclusion to come to and yetā€¦
Thereā€™s a difference between knowing and seeing.
All the violence resumes and the platform is engulfed in the sounds of carnage and slaughter once more. The lack of terrified screams makes everything more disconcertingā€” without them, all you can hear is the squelching echo of mangled flesh and blood splattering all over the place. You canā€™t really see him, but you can tell where Satoru Gojo is in the crowd as he leaves dozens upon dozens of decapitated heads soaring in his wake. Once or twice, he leaps out of the crowd and even from where you stand you can see the crazed glow of his inhumanly blue eyes as he massacres monster after monster.
Even though you donā€™t think you have anything to be scared of, you are still terrified: Satoru Gojo is no longer a man, but violence incarnate. You want to move closer to where Gojo gets trapped, but youā€™re afraid to. What if you get in his way? What if he kills you by accident?
Dying again when youā€™ve made it this far is definitely not ideal, but isnā€™t being killed by Gojo the best case scenario? Because then the two of you would probably loop together again andā€”
No.
Gojo said you wouldnā€™t die.
He said heā€™d protect you.
Itā€™s hard to believe when heā€™s in the middle of a massacre, slaughtering monsters left and right, but you remind yourself yet again that you have to believe in him.
You take a deep breath and start moving, taking care to keep an eye on where Gojo is. You donā€™t know how long this is supposed to take, but you do know where he ends up when heā€™s just about done. The closer he gets to that spot, the sooner the prison realm will be unleashed upon him.
Thereā€™s a small group of zombified people nearby and you settle yourself among them. Itā€™s not super close, but you think it's close enough that you'd be able to run over and kick the box away from Gojo if you have to. You do a quick survey to see if you can spot the body snatcher, but he's nowhere to be found. Hopefully, he hasn't noticed you moving around, or, if he has, he's more concerned with Gojo than he is with you. Given that you always seem to be the last thing he acknowledges, you'd like to think that he doesn't consider you a threat.
Which you're not, not really anyway.
The sounds of slaughter start to die down and you look to see Gojo approaching the spot where he gets caught. He looks beat, his eyes unfocused and his breathing heavy. You do another quick scan around him and notice a small box a few meters away from him, wrapped in what looks like paper charms or seals or whatever they're called. That has to be the prison realmā€” though it looks different than what you saw before. Gojo seems to notice it right after you do, his gaze honing in on it, examining it with some measure of bewilderment. Then, some invisible force slices through all the paper seals covering the box and it expands, the corners of the box floating up in midair to reveal what looks like a large sheet of dark red flesh with a large bloodshot eye stapled to the middle.
Disgusting.
If Gojo didnā€™t realize before, he seems to now, because he takes a step back, away from the grotesque thing. Good, goodā€”
ā€œHey! Satoru!ā€ Your blood runs cold at the sound of the body snatcherā€™s voice. He emerges from the crowd, smiling widely as he gives Gojo a wave. ā€œLong time no see!ā€
Satoru Gojoā€™s entire body goes rigid. Shit. You told him, you warned him about what was going to happen, who he was going to see, but was that not enough? Itā€™s possible that no amount of warning would have been enough to mentally prepare Satoru Gojo for the sight of the man he said he killed a year ago. After all, you know that thereā€™s a stark difference between knowing and seeing. Even then, if Gojo doesnā€™t gather his wits and move now then heā€™s going to get caught and you canā€™t let that happen.
Your body moves before you can even think about it.
You scramble out from your hiding spot in the crowd and throw yourself in between Satoru Gojo and the prison realm. Thereā€™s no way you can kick it away from him now, not when itā€™s in this form, but maybe, if you get between them you can at least keep it from capturing him.
The eye quivers erratically, as it flits from Gojo to you. Every hair on your body stands on end as it watches you, the pupil dilating and contracting uncontrollably. You canā€™t look away from it, your own gaze fixed to your image reflected in the black abyss of the pupil. Something in the back of your mind tells you to stop, to get away, itā€™s dangerous, but you keep your feet firmly planted to the ground.
A second, or maybe even a minute passes and the prison realm shifts, its fleshy form morphing to restrain you.
The body jacker looks at you, his frown tinged with disgust. ā€œDonā€™t you think youā€™re being rather rude by butting into what could have been a touching reunion?ā€
You scowl. Is he still trying to play the role of Suguru Geto?
He sighs and looks past you at Gojo. ā€œSatoru, I thought bringing lesser sorcerers to fight alongside you was more trouble than it was worth?ā€
You hear Gojo snort from behind you, ā€œIt isā€¦ but this person here isnā€™t a sorcererā€¦ Just like you arenā€™t Suguru Geto.ā€
The faker almost pouts and presses his hand to his chest as if Gojo's words have wounded him. ā€œSatoru, Iā€™m hurt, how could you say such a thing to your best friend?ā€
ā€œCut the bullshit,ā€ Gojo snarls. ā€œYou canā€™t fucking fool me. You might be in Suguruā€™s body but I know with all my heart and soul that youā€™re not him.ā€
The corpse snatcher stares at Gojo, expression blank before he sighs once more. Then, his gaze shifts back to you, his eyes narrowed as he looks at you with sheer disdain. It feels as if youā€™ve been drenched in ice cold water. There's no smile this time but you already know what's going to happen.
Heā€™s going to kill you.
ā€œI intended to deal with you later since you seemed harmless enough,ā€ he says, raising a hand to summon a monsterā€” the same one he always uses to end your life. ā€œBut youā€™re in the way. So, I think itā€™s for the best if I just get rid of you right now.ā€
Instinctively, you try to take a step back but the prison realmā€™s restraints keep you in place. Not that it would have mattered much, even in the loops where youā€™ve tried to escape the fakerā€™s monster, it still kills you, too fast and too agile for an ordinary human like you to avoid. All you can do is squeeze your eyes shut and wait for the monster to kill you. At least, itā€™s always painless.
Something touches your back.
Your eyes shoot open.
Before you is the monster, wiggling and writhing only mere centimeters from your face. It gurgles and snarls at you, desperate to fulfill its masterā€™s wishes and kill you but it doesnā€™t move any closer. You stare at it with wide eyes, unsure of what to do.
Someone behind you clicks their tongueā€” Gojo. You try to turn your head to look at him, but your movements are too limited, the most you can do is turn your head to the side. The sounds the monster is making start to change, sounding more frenzied, almost as if itā€™s in pain, and you flit your eyes in its direction just in time to see its entire body explode. The monster's guts and bright purple blood fly off in every direction, getting on the floor, the ceiling, the zombified bodies of the people unfortunate enough to be nearby, but not on you.
This is Satoru Gojoā€™s doing.
He steps in front of you, half turned towards you as he moves in between you and the body snatcher. His hands are shoved in his pockets as he loudly says, ā€œDid you really forget about me?ā€
Youā€™re not sure if heā€™s talking to you or the body snatcher.
Past him, the imposter scowls, raising his hand once more, probably to summon even more monsters, but Gojoā€™s quicker, and it almost looks like his eyes are glowing even brighter, the blue looking almost white as he whips his head in the fakerā€™s direction. The sound of mangling flesh and breaking bones echoes throughout the room as Gojo, using that mysterious power of his, seems to break the fakerā€™s arm.
The body snatcher hisses loudly and despite the fact that his face is twisted in very obvious pain, he tries to shoot Gojo a mocking smile. ā€œDo you really think you can kill your best friend again?ā€
ā€œI already told you,ā€ Gojo turns to fully face the monster inhabiting Getoā€™s corpse. He tilts his head a little to the side and some force starts to squeeze at the fakerā€™s neck. ā€œYouā€™re not Suguru.ā€
You hear a loud crack as Gojo telekinetically snaps his neck.
The head rolls onto the ground and you almost look away, but then you notice his eyes still moving, looking around. Is he still alive? Then you remember: the thing possessing Suguru Getoā€™s body was some kind of parasite. ā€œGojo! Wait! The brain!ā€
He reacts almost instantly, head turning and in an instant the skull is crushed and all that remains is red splotch on the ground.
You almost relax. Almost.
But the body is still standing.
Horrified, you watch as it quivers violently before falling to the ground. Then what looks like dozens of black spirits start to erupt from the corpse and the entire room is engulfed with a shrill howling.
What the hell is going on?
ā€œThose must be all the cursed spirits he consumed,ā€ Gojo explains uselessly, voice barely audible over the screaming. ā€œGuess he was empty before.ā€
You donā€™t bother asking what he means. There are bigger problems right now. ā€œWhat do we do?ā€
ā€œNo choice to exorcise them,ā€ he answers plainly.
For him to exorcise them, he means. You both know that thereā€™s not much that you can do. You still canā€™t move and honestly, you donā€™t even know if itā€™s possible to get out of the prison realmā€™s restraints. Not without dying. And if you die nowā€¦
Everything will have been for naught.
Youā€™ll reset time and have to do this all over againā€” assuming you can even get to this point again.
There has to be something, you just have to think outside the box.
Or ratherā€”
ā€œGojo!ā€
He glances back at you.
ā€œYou need to seal me in the prison realm!ā€ you exclaim. He turns to face you fully, looking bewildered and you start to explain as fast as you can. ā€œThose things are going to attack any minute right? I canā€™t move or try to hide and I canā€™t expect you to protect me the entire time and if I die then Iā€™ll end up looping time again, butā€” but, if you seal me in the prison realm then that wonā€™t happen.ā€
Gojo frowns, looking conflicted. ā€œYou donā€™t think I can do it?ā€
ā€œWouldn't it be easier if you didnā€™t have to?ā€
He tilts head and you think heā€™s conceding your point.
ā€œPlease,ā€ you beg, staring at him desperately. ā€œWe donā€™t have much time. The otherā€¦ cursed spirits will wake up soon too!ā€
You donā€™t have to explain that you mean Volcano Head and friends.
It takes only a second for Gojo to consider the very few options you have. ā€œ...how do you seal it? Do you know?ā€
ā€œI think so,ā€ you answer. ā€œThereā€™s no guarantee itā€™ll work but I think that if you say ā€˜prison realm, gate closeā€™ it should seal me inside.ā€
If anything, itā€™s worth a shot.
Gojo nods. ā€œDo you know how to break the seal?ā€
ā€œIā€¦ donā€™t,ā€ you confess. You never asked, and you donā€™t think the body snatcher would have told you even if you did. He only told you that it holds one and thatā€¦
That time doesnā€™t flow in the box.
ā€œ...you donā€™t have to break the seal.ā€
Gojo frowns, ā€œWait a secā€”ā€
ā€œEven if I make it past tonightā€¦ What if this all happens again? What if I inadvertently trap myself in another time loop?ā€ you ask. ā€œIā€¦ I donā€™t want to have to go through all of this again. Itā€™s better for me in a place where time doesnā€™t pass.ā€
You donā€™t know for sure if itā€™ll be better, but right here, right now, it seems like the best option.
It feels like an eternity passes before Gojo says anything.
ā€œ...fine,ā€ he agrees and you donā€™t quite know how to feel about it. The howling around you all grows louder. You wonder why the cursed spirits havenā€™t attacked yet. Maybe Gojoā€™s power is holding them at bayā€¦ for now anyway. You both know that he canā€™t ignore them forever.
ā€œ...before I do, though, mind if I ask you just one thing?ā€
You blink. ā€œNot sure what I can do for you in this stateā€¦ā€
He laughs. ā€œI just want to know your name.ā€
What an odd request. Though, now that you think about it, you donā€™t think that during this loop or any other loop really, youā€™ve ever told him your name. It only seems fair to tell him, since youā€™ve known his for longer than heā€™s known of your existence.
You tell him your name.
He nods, looking as if heā€™s committing to memory. Probably easier to remember than his phone number. ā€œAny last words?ā€
You try to think of something. Nothing comes to mind and you just shake your head.
Gojo takes a deep breath, ā€œAlrighty thenā€¦ Prison realm, gate close.ā€
Just as it did the many times youā€™ve seen Satoru Gojo sealed away, the boxes and restraints around you vibrate a little before they start to close around you, growing large enough to fit your body as they approach.
You wonā€™t see it, but once youā€™re inside the box will shrink and become small enough to fit in the palm of someoneā€™s hand.
Will it be quiet inside?
In your final seconds, some words, some last words come to mind, and you say them, hoping that he hears them in time. ā€œThank you, Satoru Gojo.ā€
You burn the glittering glow of his brilliant bright blue eyes into your mind.
And then, everything is engulfed in an unending black.
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Itā€™s November 30, 2018ā€” morning on the campus of Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School.
Satoru Gojo strides through the school grounds, casually tossing a small silver box with eerie blue eyes known as the prison realm up and down in his grasp. Walking at his side is Shoko Ieiri, a pretty woman whoā€™s been unfortunate enough to have been Satoruā€™s friend since high school.
ā€œAre you sure this is a good idea?ā€ Shoko asks, twirling a few strands of her long brown hair.
ā€œWhat do you mean?ā€ Satoru responds nonchalantly. ā€œAll my ideas are good ideas.ā€
Shoko hums in clear dissent, but doesnā€™t say anything more. Even she knows better than to try and waste her time trying to argue with Satoru. ā€œIā€™m just worried about their mental state. Didnā€™t you say that time doesnā€™t flow in the box?ā€
ā€œIā€™d be worried if it was some normal person,ā€ Satoru says. ā€œBut after what theyā€™ve gone through I think theyā€™ll be fine.ā€
ā€œ...well, if you say so.ā€
The two arrive at their destination: the largest training area on the Jujutsu High grounds. Satoru places the prison realm at the center and takes a few steps back with Shoko standing behind him, in case anything happens.
He doesnā€™t think it will, but itā€™s always good to take at least a few precautions.
ā€œGojo, are you sure we should be doing this?ā€ Shoko asks again. ā€œDidnā€™t they want to remain in the box?ā€
ā€œOf course I am,ā€ Satoru says with his usual air of confidence before looking back at the prison realm nestled in the grass. He grins and thenā€”
ā€œPrison realm, gate open.ā€
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if you made it this far. thank you. it's my sincerest hope that you enjoyed the ride. 3
#OHHHHHHHH MY GOD.#okokokok this is gonna be. Really Incoherent sorry in advance šŸ™šŸ™ niku this made meā€¦ā€¦ insane. fully. someone needs to restrain me#one of my favorite gojo fics Ever??? like genuinely????? this was SUCH a pleasure to read i have sm i wanna say :((( hhhhhh#FIRST OF ALLL the higurashi poemā€¦. what a banger <33 i LOVE how it ties in with the ending too but more on that later :33#but itā€™s also so perfect bc reading this fic rlly did feel like playing a vn in the BEST way possibleā€¦. just. seeing all the tiny variation#experiencing the loops along w readerā€¦ā€¦ it was just SUCH an enjoyable experience i canā€™t even describe it!!!!!!!!! iā€™m so floored!!!!!!!!!!#like i ADORE timeloops itā€™s my favorite trope Ever and this fic was just . a godsend?? perfection??? the best loopfic ive read?????#Iā€™M STILL GOING FULLY INSANE OVER IT BTW it satiated every single craving i have for timeloop content. my brain is leaking endorphins rn šŸ˜µā€#i LOVE the opening lines and the constant reusage of ā€Itā€™s the night of October 31 2018ā€” Halloween in Shibuyaā€ā€¦ā€¦ just so satisfying somehow#and readerā€™s mental state was also so thoughtfully depictedā€¦ it was so easy to insert myself into them but theyā€™re also. rlly charming?#them latching onto gojo as the one anomaly of the timeloopā€¦. fixating on him and his beauty (real as fuck btw)ā€¦. and searching for hope!!!#finding hope in gojo!!!! learning to trust him!!!!! :((( it feels kinda like a very twisted one-sided slowburn ā€¦ and i ate it up.#i also rlly like that itā€™s not explicitly romantic!!! thereā€™s enough subtext to enjoy a romance aspect but itā€™s not the Focus yk??#and i like that!!! the focus is on reader and the timeloop and both of those aspects are woven into gojo rlly naturally :>#ok so iā€™m using that as a segway. bc OFC i need to rant abt gojo fucking satoru and how much i love him and ur take on him šŸ˜”šŸ˜”#every once in a while iā€™ll find a fic where iā€™m like. this author knows Gojo Satoru personally. they speak to him on the phone every night.#and this fic is ABSOLUTELY one of those likeā€¦.. this gojo is Canon to me. iā€™m so serious abt it like thatā€™s HIM !!!#and it just reminded me of why i love him sm bc this rlly does feel exactly like the gojo from the manga and thatā€™s SO impressive 2 me ā€¦.#iā€™m in awe of u niku. i donā€™t even know where to begin w gojo bc i loved SO many lines and lil details u put inā€¦ā€¦ā€¦. šŸ˜µā€šŸ’«šŸ˜µā€šŸ’«#heā€™s just. soooooo charming :/// he truly is. heā€™s beautiful and handsome and he gives you his number every loop . w a star symbol!!!!#asks you for your phone or a pen and gets all excited writing his nameā€¦ the mochi receiptā€¦. šŸ„ŗ heā€™s so endearing we need to put him Down.#HEā€™S SO GOODDDDD I CANā€™T SAY IT ENOUGHā€¦. his convos with reader were a huge highlight for me and i loved loved LOVED#the moment he finally understands their situation. when they speak and he hears them out and heā€™s almost gentle. sooo reassuring.#starting to think youā€™re genuinely gege akutami btw like . gojo is so complex but you just. captured him perfectly???#heā€™s cocky and playful and teasing and a killing machine and heā€™s Kind. heā€™s playful even when youā€™re a stranger#and when he finally hears you out he speaks softly and says heā€™ll protect you :((( reader is better than me i wouldā€™ve cried LMAO#THE DIALOGUE IS SO GOOD N FEELS SO REAL ā€did you fall in love with me just now?ā€ NOOO ā€¦.. ā˜¹ļøā˜¹ļøā˜¹ļøā˜¹ļø ā€¦. (maybe ā€¦ā€¦..)#ack. heā€™s the most charming man in the universe my heart was fluttering like crazy this isnā€™tā€¦ normal human behaviorā€¦ā€¦ā€¦#WAIT i almost forgot ā€¦. i too adore the jjk dub and every time gojo spoke i heard kaiji tang in my head <33 10/10 would recommend!!!#writing āœ©
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hamburgergod Ā· 8 years ago
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parental figure: how come you donā€™t have a jet lag after a 14 hour flight like the rest of us
me: thatā€™s my secret. iā€™m always tired
(i moved to korea and i get to watch 12.14 now YAY)
ooohhhh this opening is harsh.Ā 
I canā€™t believe Dean saysĀ ā€œCas almost diedā€ and Sam saysĀ ā€œA hunter got killedā€ and Mary repliesĀ ā€œIā€™m the one who burned his body. Iā€™m the one who told his wifeā€. #marriage confirmed thanks bobo
Dean be nicer to your mother at least sheā€™s talking to you about it instead of leaving one coordinate and going completely off the chart for half a season
DEAN BE NICER TO YOUR MOTHERĀ 
on the side note I canā€™t believe theyā€™re making Mary go through a weird alternate of the MoC plotline auhghugh i THOUGHT WE DROPPED THAT PLOTLINE. Let them just huddle in a comfy couch and watch netflix Ā 
Ketch is so creepy I wish heā€™d stop trying to flirt with Mary
Can you imagine how awkward Christmas would be if he ended up being the stepdad ugh gross
OH NOOOOOOOO Ā MAAAAARYYYYYYYYY TEXTED DEAN A BUNCH OF APOLOGIES DEAN PROBABLY DOESNā€™T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THEM HEā€™S NOT USED TO PPL APOLOGIZING STRAIGHT AWAY LIKE THIS
also this is a really cool sci-fi looking home base and almost similar to the bunker, but in comparison itā€™s cold in both atmosphere and colour. this place is a military base, the bunker is home.
OH NO OH NOOOOOOOOOOOO MARYĀ ā€œI AM NOT JUST A MOMā€ AND DEANĀ ā€œI NEVER WAS [A CHILD]ā€ AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
DEAN JUST CALLED HER MARY Iā€™M GOING TO SCREAM everything is so black and white to him still, youā€™d think heā€™d be used to betrayals from loved ones by now
dean take that shirt offĀ 
youā€™d think heā€™d know by now that that red shirt is Cursed, or at the very least, throw it out to stop reminding himself of his demon days
or maybe he keeps it around TO remind himself of his demon days. ā€œthis outfitā€™s for when i need to be mean and hold onto anger because if they find out iā€™m a soft pudding inside iā€™ll be destroyedā€
Dean: what was she thinking man
Sam: idk maybe we should try to Communcateā„¢ with her instead of wallowing in our sorrows while second-guessing why she did what she did
Dean: what
Dean: who even does that
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ā€œwho does this guy think he is, talking about how we should upright ask our mom about an issue we have with her instead of drowning my sorrows about it in alcohol for 3 weeksā€
i canā€™t believe dean is literally going out to drink as soon as i typed that jesus christ dudeĀ 
DEAN BE NICER TO YOUR FAMILY JESUS FUCKING CHRIST
i hate it when heā€™s like this, taking his anger out on other people when he initially got angry from something else, ESPECIALLY when the other people are hurting just as much as he is. people shouldnā€™t be treated as punching bags and he should know that best, having been there with John countless times
I hate it when heā€™s like this. god.
I canā€™t believe Deanā€™s become the new Rufus Turner where they have to bribe him with alcohol to get him to do things :P
hm. do you think the BMoL knows about the vampire cure
probably not. even if they did, they donā€™t seem like the type that would use it if they had it since it would mean filtering through every single vamps they come across, and they tend to look at things in a broader sense. all these monsters are stats to them, whereas Dean n Samā€™s methods are far more personal
:IĀ 
so i guess they thoughtĀ ā€œwe have to back Toniā€™s accusation that Ketch is a ā€˜psychopathā€™ with a reason somehow
....letā€™s just shove her into the crazy ex trope thatā€™ll doā€
boooooo
this speech from Ketch about how theyā€™re killing machines who need to kill things kill kill kill is why Deanā€™s wearing that Cursed shirt isnā€™t it
I THOUGHT WE DROPPED THE MoC PLOTLINE BLUBHLULHLULULHUH
leave Dean Winchester King of Domesticity out of this mess 2k17
let him tend to a weedy garden for all these killing impulses they keep talking about and let him watch Cas trying to cook him breakfast on their anniversary from the kitchen door frame while holding a mug of coffee in his robe 2k17
i can now never watch someone finish a drink without captain CJā€™s voice goingĀ ā€œTHATā€™S gonna leave a markā€ at the back of my head
Dean and Ketch hunting together feels oddly like a bonding experience i hate it whereā€™s Cas
strategically placedĀ ā€œpool & spaā€ sign which is where Dean SHOULD be to wind down, not a fUCKING VAMPIRE NEST
i love how posh everyone in BMoL sounded until they actually have to face consequences for their actions lmao
makes me root for the vamps, you know
poor sam, always gets the short end of the stick.
ā€œiā€™m so fucking sick of ppl who think they know everything but they donā€™t actually know anything about what theyā€™re doing. cool. this again.ā€
sam is so clever but too kind, though i really wish the alpha vamp didnā€™t have to die. he was such a cool character
also blah. it looks like Mick is getting the arc that I wanted Toni to haveĀ 
and he literally replaced her role when he got introduced too :(
on the side note................... why do i see a potential romance between mick and sam................ why does it feel like mick is a little bit in love with sam....................Ā 
i hate that i like mick
although i canā€™t understand half the things heā€™s saying because of his accentĀ 
SAM.......... YOU KNOW BETTER THAN TO WORK BEHIND DEANā€™S BACK AGAIN
and he was doing so well this episode.
nonetheless i really liked that episode! had a lot of fun watching it. wish Cas was there during Mick and Samā€™s conversation so he can tell himĀ ā€œSam, [not telling Dean whatā€™s happening] never ends wellā€ again
i just hope Samā€™s decision to work with the BMoL doesnā€™t get Mary killed. hope Dean realizing that Mary is her own person isnā€™t going to lead to her being killed, then it being framed asĀ ā€œher choice led to thisā€ to ease our acceptance of Mary being off the show and back to being dead where she ā€œoriginally belongsā€. I know they canā€™t hire her as a guest star forever but would it be so hard to ask to not stuff her back into the fridge???
anyway. really enjoyed the episode, but hopefully mary wonā€™t be killed in the near future because itā€™s scaring me how much it feels like itā€™s edging towards that. especially with her in that tan jacket and the blue and white shirts underneath.Ā 
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ootahime Ā· 3 years ago
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analyzing every gojohime moment in the manga šŸ˜ˆ
this series will probably have more than one part because tumblr only lets me upload ten images per post </3
warning: there are disgustingly long paragraphs in here and delusions
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chapter 32
utahimeā€™s first introduction!Ā  akutami lets us know right off the bat that she thinks gojo is an idiot (so true).
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chapter 32
i love the contrast between miwa and utahimeā€™s reaction to gojoā€™s appearance.Ā Ā 
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chapter 33
NAH BC TELL ME WHY HE WENT OUT OF HIS WAY TO NOT GET HER ONE LMAOOOO!!Ā  when he traveled overseas to meet with yuta, he picked up the tribal protection charms and thought to himself,Ā ā€œletā€™s get enough for the kyoto students as a gift since i am such a great and caring teacher, after all.Ā  mmm, i should skip utahime to make her mad~ā€Ā  this guy puts way too much effort into getting on her nerves.Ā  his mind = utahime brainrot
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chapter 33
sheā€™s laughing at him here because heā€™s getting disciplined for being a lil shit.Ā  i wonder...what would he say if he saw her laughing at him like that?Ā Ā 
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chapter 33
this interaction between them is a little strange donā€™t you think?Ā Ā  i feel like over the years heā€™s learned how to pick up her mood based on the way sheā€™s acting towards him.Ā Ā youā€™re probably thinking,Ā ā€œwell any person can figure out how a personā€™s feeling based on the way theyā€™re talking or acting.ā€Ā  yes, thatā€™s absolutely true, but itā€™s kind of different with this.Ā  sheā€™s acting normal.Ā  utahime has a rather indifferent expression on her face and what she says is spoken in a calm tone, but gojo still asks her if sheā€™s mad at him.Ā  itā€™s likely that he knows her well enough to be able to notice these subtle things.Ā  even if she wasnā€™t actually mad at him, he was being considerate for a split second, then he went and said, ā€œof course.Ā  i didnā€™t do anything wrong and all.ā€Ā  what a guy LOLOL.Ā  to me, this implies that maybe he made her genuinely angry in the past to the point where he realized that he went too far, and thus decided to be more careful of her feelings.Ā  she has definitely gotten annoyed at him so many times after that so whenever she seems angry, he probably asks himself if he took it too far.Ā  iā€™m curious to see if he can pick up if sheā€™s upset with something thatā€™s not involving him.Ā  would he console her?Ā  how does gojo satoru console someone?Ā Ā 
despite him always annoying her, sheā€™s still courteous and brings him a cup of tea during their talk.Ā  she didnā€™t have to go out of her way to get tea for him but she did.Ā  thatā€™s the kind of person utahime is.Ā  a kind and caring woman who would never put her students in danger.Ā  in the anime they were sitting far away and not facing each other like theyā€™re doing in the manga.Ā  she also has her own tea cup.Ā  i think that little panel of her placing the cup down on the table and him picking it up to take a sip is a nice little detail.Ā  it just proves that her hating him most of the time isnā€™t actually pure hatred but annoyance because of his shenanigans and teasing.
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chapter 33
i touched upon this a little bit in my previous post, but i wish to go more in depth about this panel.Ā  first of all, he ends the sentence with her name twice.Ā  two times too many, mr. gojo.Ā  i like how they can be serious with each other too LOL.Ā  i wish we got to see them talk about the traitors because they did figure it out together after all.Ā  does it always end in bickering?Ā  can they interact with each other like adults all the way through?Ā  somehow, i feel like thatā€™s not possible when it comes to these two.Ā  furthermore, notice how gojo confides in utahime about his suspicions.Ā  from what we know, she is the first person he brought it up to.Ā  i mean, i guess he has to start investigating the schools and would need extra assistance to save time, but he could have done it himself if he really wanted to.Ā  by deciding to ask for her help we know that he thinks sheā€™s trustworthy, smart, and strong enough to face whatever considerable risks this task may entail.Ā Ā 
i didnā€™t point this out in my other posts but see how he makes a hand sign in the last panel when she throws the cup at him?Ā  gojo is manually activating his infinity.Ā  why though?Ā  about a year after the whole star plasma vessel incident happened, gojo develops the ability to keep his infinity up at all times by using the reversed curse technique to consistently heal himself to prevent exhaustion.Ā  this means that it really makes no difference whether he leaves it on or off.Ā  there are a few times where we can witness someone actually touching gojo.Ā  for example, yuuji giving him a hug.Ā  did he turn his infinity off, or was it able to deduce that yuuji was not a threat?Ā  the erasers and pencils shoko and geto threw at him during his demonstration of his new ability arenā€™t dangerous normally, but is it the speed that makes them dangerous?Ā  even if it did hit him, it wouldnā€™t hurt.Ā  how does the infinity know when to allow an incoming object to touch gojo?Ā  i believe it is up to gojo himself to let things touch him; his infinity restricts anything and anyone.Ā  some people say it could just be the fact that water is not dangerous to him, so therefore, he has to manually put his infinity up.Ā  i thought this was a reasonable explanation as to why he put up the hand sign when the tea was thrown at him, but then i realized that it couldnā€™t be.Ā  remember the second opening?Ā  itā€™s raining and everyone is carrying an umbrella, then it pans to gojo with a bouquet in his hand and rain drops slipping off his infinity.Ā  if he DID manually put his infinity up to prevent getting soaked then that implies that he chose to turn his infinity off.Ā  you can argue and say that jujutsu high is a safe place with students so thereā€™s no need to have his infinity there, but do you remember when he stepped on the ants in front of gakuganji and yaga?Ā  the ants were perfectly fine after which insinuates that his infinity prevented his shoes from crushing the ants.Ā  he most likely had his infinity on during the baseball game even though he was in a safe environment.Ā  how does this long tangent relate back to utahime?Ā  well, it simply indicates that gojo trusts utahime so much to the point where he can be vulnerable around her.Ā  turning off his infinity symbolizes completely letting down his guardĀ  in a way.Ā Ā 
how about what happens next?Ā  utahime throws the tea at him, he turns on his infinity to deflect it, and he responds with,Ā ā€œscary!Ā  hysteric women arenā€™t popular, you know!ā€Ā  why would he even say that LMAO??Ā  utahime doesnā€™t even try to deny what he said either.Ā  she just hits him with the good old,Ā ā€œi am your senpai!ā€Ā  could it be that heā€™s trying to poke fun of her relationship status?Ā  maybe, maybe not.Ā  doesnā€™t he like people a lil crazy?Ā  he did say that all jujutsu sorcerers have to be a little crazy because theyā€™re willing to put themselves in danger constantly.Ā Ā 
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chapter 0 p.1
i wonder who heā€™s thinking of when he said that.Ā  could it be utahime?Ā  it seems like heā€™s reminiscing or thinking about someone.Ā  he wears an amused expression on his face as he laughs - almost like heā€™s seen his fair share of how scary women can get :>>
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chapter 34
the pattern behind gojo and utahime is called yagasuriĀ ā€œfletching,ā€ a traditional japanese design.Ā  this design is inspired by arrow fletching.Ā  it's a lucky charm for weddings and other celebrations since it's based on the Japanese belief that an arrow shot once never comes back.Ā  brides were given kimonos with this pattern for good luck during the edo era (1603ā€“1868) to ensure they would not have to return to their original family home.Ā  this pattern can have numerous meanings such as steadfastness or determination to achieve a goal, or a wish for the happiness of the bride.Ā  there is a belief that a bow and arrow represent the fight against evil.Ā  honestly, this meaning fits the narrative of the story.Ā  utahime and gojo are unearthing the traitors that are feeding intel to the curse users and cursed spirits.Ā  they are in the middle while the kyoto students surround them, which could mean that itā€™s their job as adults to protect these children from the grasps of evil slowly making itself more prominent.Ā  do you also notice that the arrows are pointed toward utahime from gojo?Ā  from all the images iā€™ve seen, the arrows are usually pointed downward.Ā  what could this mean?Ā  is gojo trying to protect her (in the future (?)) or does he have a big fat crush smh...
i think itā€™s a good time to mention utahimeā€™s clothing.Ā  sheā€™s wearing miko attire.Ā  miko are shrine maidens who were once thought to be shamans (you connecting the dots?).Ā  in their service to shrines, miko used to perform spirit possession and takusen (in which the possessed person acts as a "medium" (yorimashi) to communicate the divine will or message of that kami (god) or spirit; also included in the category of takusen is "dream revelation" (mukoku), in which a kami appears in a dream to communicate its will).Ā  this was back in the old days, of course.Ā  to become a miko back then (shaman), one needed to have potential.Ā  neurosis, hallucinations, odd behavior, and hysteria (HYSTERIA HELLO???) are some of the signs that a person is being called to shamanism.Ā  when a miko is communicating with a kami (god) or spirit by acting as a medium, she is in a trance-like state, and so she must learn techniques to control herself when this happens.Ā  chanting and dancing were used to accomplish this, so the girl was taught melodies and intonations that were used in songs, prayers, and magical formulas.Ā  all of this could give us insight about utahimeā€™s technique and explains why sheā€™s good at singing :)Ā  maybe she canā€™t control herself when she uses her technique which is why she isnā€™t shown using it because it should be used for dire situations.Ā  i imagine being possessed by a spirit or god must consume a lot of cursed energy.Ā  it makes sense that utahime and gakuganji wear traditional clothing.Ā  theyā€™re the staff of jujutsu highā€™s kyoto branch.Ā  in chapter 0, kyoto is known as the sacred land of jujutsu.Ā  itā€™s more traditional compared to tokyo.Ā  if you want to learn more about miko, you should check out the wikipedia page!Ā Ā 
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chapter 34
i swear he tries to annoy her every chance he gets.Ā  i bet he sets a goal for himself to see how many times utahime lectures him about respecting his seniors every time heā€™s within the same vicinity as her.Ā  at least he called her utahime-sensei!!!
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chapter 40
this isnā€™t even a gojohime moment tbh...i just wanted to share a pic of them sitting next to each other HEHE.Ā  why are they sitting next to each other anyway?Ā  itā€™s not like they have assigned seating.
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that was so long and i apologize for the gargantuan paragraphs you guys had to read through.Ā  iā€™m writing this at 4 in the morning and iā€™m feeling borderline delirious so i apologize if there are any errors.Ā  iā€™ll edit this when i have time <3
the next part should come shortly.
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velvetgons Ā· 6 years ago
Text
seunghun as your boyfriend;
seunghun x reader
warnings; hm maybe some swearing but nothing else :)Ā 
word count; 3.2kĀ 
requested; yes :) the junkyu one is already done and is under my writing// tag!Ā 
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so whatā€™s seunghunā€™s vibe i hear u ask? well itā€™s: ROMANCE
seunghun is the epitome of movie romance boy babey!!
youā€™d still meet him a very Normal and Generic setting, though
but it would still be super cute and the kind of experience where you think about it later that night and you gotta think ā€˜did that actually happen??ā€™
iā€™m thinking a coffee shop because idk i got those chill vibes from seunghun
itā€™d be this really small niche coffee shop that plays the lo-fi hip-hop radio 24/7 and you only really go there because a. itā€™s small so thereā€™s not a lot of people and b. the drinks are just so good?? you donā€™t know what theyā€™re doing to make everything taste five star restaurant worthy but you donā€™t care!!
and one day you go there just to be chilled out and continue to work your way through the entire menu to test your theory that god himself is making these drinks
but when youā€™re just sitting and ~chilling~ you hear the door open
n you honestly donā€™t usually look up because itā€™ll just be another hipster teenager walking in, which is very valid and youā€™ve lowkey started to think that hipster fashion is maybe not so bad
(your friends disagree but i mean, whoā€™s actually seeing hipster fashion up close and personal daily??)
but this time ur just like hm wonder whoā€™s coming in today
and oh my god?? you feel like your brain has just short-circuited
thereā€™s this cute ass boy with the softest looking hair wearing an oversized soft jumper walking into the shop with these pretty eyes that are glancing around to observe the space
and your interest is peaked, so youā€™re paying full attention to him now like godly drink? not important there is the most beautiful man over there and you are about ready to die with how shocked you are Ā 
and then he just. gets his coffee and you think heā€™s gonna turn and leave so youā€™re :((
but as he about reached the door he turns his head a little and he sees you and heā€™s like :O
tbh heā€™d probably actually gasp like yeah thatā€™s seunghun and heā€™s shocked!
and he wants to walk over to your table but he doesnā€™t know if you want company or if you want to be left alone
so heā€™s 365 so stressed and rushes out of the coffee shop because omg he canā€™t make someone ((and himself)) nervous thatā€™s too much to do in one day
and so now youā€™re left wondering like?? was that a good shocked face and run away? because thatā€™s definitely not usually a good sign
but you go back the next day as usual except this time youā€™re waiting for something ((spoiler: itā€™s seunghun. you went there to see the Cute Boy.))
and tbh you donā€™t think heā€™s gonna come back because i mean who gasps and runs out of a building for a good reason
but he does!! and heā€™s being ā€˜slyā€™ okay seunghun trying to check to see if youā€™re there that day and when he sees you sat there like yesterday heā€™s so excited
heā€™s been getting prepped all throughout yesterday and mostly through the night because he didnā€™t sleep properly
but now heā€™s ready to go ask if he can sit with you and make nice polite pleasant conversation
forgive him heā€™s only on phase one of his long-term plan to marry the cute person he saw at the coffee shop
so he gets his coffee and he walks over to you and says in the uwu small text ā€œhello! does anybody sit here or is this seat free?ā€
and i mean first of all itā€™s completely unnecessary for him to sit with you like thereā€™s so many free seats
but lowkey yeah youā€™ve been thinking about him too so youā€™d say yes
even if there is the slight worry that he might be a serial killer you decide to Take The Chance this one time
and omg as soon as you said yes seunghun could swear his heart did a keyboard smash and then stopped beating for a whole minute
but he takes his seat! and then completely freezes
he just doesnā€™t know what to say at first :(( heā€™s worried heā€™ll say something weird or not say enough to impress you so he just sits quietly and drinks his coffee
but then he sees that youā€™re wearing this cute lil necklace so heā€™s like ā€œwowie!! that necklace is super cute :))ā€
and of course youā€™d say ā€œomg!! thank you so much!!ā€
and like tbh. he gets so much confidence from them on. he just takes that one small comments and creates a whole conversation from
he asks where you got the necklace, if you shop there often, if you shop overall often, what other things you like to shop for, what other things you like in general
when it gets to a time that either one of you have to leave, seunghun genuinely wouldnā€™t want to, and if he had plans heā€™d check to see if he could cancel them without feeling guilty to spend time with you
but if you had to leave or if he couldnā€™t cancel his plans heā€™s gonna be a sad boy
you honestly just feel like youā€™ve been on a date tbh
so youā€™d honestly forget the inhibition and be like ā€œaw :(( well itā€™s okay just give me your number so we can do this again!ā€
and you only realise when he does the same face he did yesterday that oh whoops maybe you didnā€™t fully realise that you were saying that
he just makes you feel really comfortable so you honestly forget about things that wouldā€™ve made you nervous with other people
but once he recovers from the shock heā€™d just be like ā€œ:] yeah okay that sounds fine with meā€
and he just wants to talk to you 24/7!! but he refrains from texting you all the time because he doesnā€™t want you to end up finding him annoying :-)
tbh though heā€™d respond to your texts pretty quickly all the time either way? if heā€™d been talking to you all day, then his responses would take like ten seconds while he typed them out. but if you hadnā€™t been talking to him at all, his responses would probably still only take fifteen minutes max unless he was busy with something
on that note, heā€™d tell you whenever he was busy with things so you didnā€™t ever think he was purposefully ignoring you
and heā€™d take you out to different coffee shops in an attempt to prove or disprove your theory about the niche lil one you go to
and if you had hobbies like visiting museums or shopping? heā€™d totally come along with you!!
brings you along on little trips he takes too!! if heā€™s going to buy something from a store he doesnā€™t usually go to? guess who heā€™s inviting!!
tries to make you push him around in the cart to see how long you can go until a staff member tells him to get out (your current record is an hour and twenty-one minutes)
tbh everyone around you would probably think you were dating?? like your friends just assume youā€™ve told him that you like him already and now youā€™re just dating
and seunghunā€™s probably told his friends that he was In Love with you the day he met you, because he firmly believes in soulmates even if he friends donā€™t
after being close friends with you for like six months youā€™d probably think it was time to give him a big speech about how you like him as more than just a friend
so you sit him down and give him this whole lengthy rehearsed statement like ā€œfirst of all, seunghun, i really donā€™t want to ruin this friendshipā€¦ā€
and by the time youā€™re done rambling about how much you think heā€™s amazing and perfect in every way heā€™s like
ā€œwell, iā€™m really touched, seriously, iā€™m tearing up a littleā€¦ā€ and youā€™re like :(( heā€™s trying to let me down gently at least, but then he just goes, ā€œbut i thought we were already dating???ā€
and, first of all, youā€™re kinda just like ok damn that was seriously unnecessary then huh. but second of all, thatā€™s definitely not bad news!!
so you kinda just laugh n say, ā€œwe never agreed that !ā€
and heā€™d say ā€œwell you know i kinda just assumed :( my badā€
and then you become the meme (you know the one where the guyā€™s like ā€œthat ainā€™t no problem, that ainā€™t no problem!ā€ that one)
but anyway! now you have a big babey as your boyfriend so you struck out there
and like. nothing changes? youā€™d have thought that at least something would change but now he just gets to kiss you!! and thatā€™s about it
seunghun is a hand holding enthusiast, first of all
he loves making you really do really obscure odd things with him that if anyone else asked you to do youā€™d be like ā€˜no wtfā€™
but with seunghun itā€™s like: go find the strangest most ugly painting in an art store and take a picture of you imitating them mood it portrays? sure that sounds fun! even more fun when you actually buy it!
or maybe he wants to make a scarecrow entirely out of pictures of himself? and youā€™re just like, ā€œsure, yeah, that sounds like a fun activityā€
idk if this is just an english thing or if itā€™s world-wide but you know like pub knowledge quizzes? heā€™d make you go to things like that on subjects neither of you have no idea about at all
but heā€™d also do really cute things with you or for you sometimes :(
like, heā€™ll buy cards with pretty art or cute cartoons on the front and write you lil short paragraphs about a different aspect of you that he loves
or heā€™ll get a collection of different flower bouquets and put them all together for you
and heā€™s not scared to admit it either!! if you bring it up in front of other peopleā€™s he doesnā€™t get embarrassed because thatā€™s his mfing baby!!
gives you about a thousand kisses every day but his favourite kind of kiss is when you give him lil pecks or pepper his cheeks with kisses :)) they make him feel all warm n cuddly n safe
all of his kisses are very sweet and soft for the most part though
and tbh he doesnā€™t really kiss you for any other reason than a. he knows you like being kissed omg and b. itā€™s such a cute lil way of showing affection
he also adores having the classic late night conversations
okay but: seunghun loves going outside late at night, he doesnā€™t care really whether itā€™s cold or warm but summer nights after a long day are his favourites, and lying or sitting on a blanket with you and having you both go off on different tangents about a thousand different things youā€™ve been thinking of or that you have an opinion on
for example, his fixation with soulmates
you ask him one of the many times youā€™re sat outside looking at the stars with him why heā€™s so obsessed with the concept of soulmates
and heā€™d kinda just shrug at you and be like ā€œi just really do think theyā€™re real. i really, really believe in them. thatā€™s about it.ā€ and heā€™s got these big cute eyes that are reflecting the stars and youā€™re two seconds away from giving him a smooch
but heā€™s not done!! heā€™d go on to be like, ā€œwell i mean. i did think they were real, but now i know theyā€™re real because iā€™ve met mine.ā€
you might cry a lil bit at that. thatā€™s understandable.
but heā€™s smiling so softly and his eyes are so starry and pretty and heā€™s like ā€œcan i give you a kiss :-)ā€
and youā€™re just like :(( yeah, yes pls
youā€™d realise a while into your relationship that heā€™d gotten a necklace that matched the one heā€™d complimented when he first met you too
and when youā€™d ask him why heā€™d tell you it was because he wanted a reminder of you and meeting you with him always
if you came to watch him practice or expressed an overt interest in his debut or anything to do with his passion heā€™d be so happy!! heā€™d love to explain things to you, or show you new choreographies and songs he was working on
i feel like seunghunā€™s the type to wanna have lil conversations before bed
he already knows how your dayā€™s been because if he hasnā€™t been keeping in regular contact with you throughout the day, heā€™s definitely asked you the second he sees you
he just wants to have another run-down over it so he can comment on stuff more in depth if he hadnā€™t had the chance before
tells you about his day and discusses how heā€™s felt about things so he can hear your opinion on them too
omg but you two would definitely spill tea together i mean, if thereā€™s drama in your day? guess whoā€™s getting a text w a tea emoji so he knows you have something to tell him about when you see him in person
and if he sees some stuff go down? heā€™d probably straight up call you in a bathroom to start telling you the story before he had to rush off to make sure he didnā€™t miss anything
you two just gossip. you both know everything about everyone. that one girl from your class who sits in the second row and always has to borrow a pencil from someone and you think itā€™s because she likes someone in the class? he knows about that. he has a theory on that.
we all also know seunghunā€™s kinda loud right?
because if heā€™s hyping you up, heā€™s Hyping You Up
you go out shopping with him and some friends? theyā€™re like ā€œwow thatā€™s a cute shirt!!ā€ but seunghunā€™s like ā€œyou are the most beautiful human being on this planetā€ (bass boosted)
has two different reactions when you compliment him:
either itā€™s ā€œomg not here iā€™m gonna blush and that will so embarrassing for the both of us!!!ā€
or itā€™s ā€œthank you for saying my shoes are nice i would die for you :-*ā€
either way, youā€™re just like :] of course any-time buddy
onto another topic, seunghun has a range of different pet-names for you
in private itā€™s like ā€œmy angel !! my baby !! my princess !! my lil love-bug cuddle-bug uwu machine wife !!ā€
but in public itā€™s like your full name. or maybe ā€˜babeā€™ if heā€™s feeling bold.
he just doesnā€™t want his friends to tease him because he Knows they would never let him live it down if they heard his nicknames for you
also seunghun seems like the type to leave you audio messages instead of just texting you? especially if he was gonna say something cute because now there canā€™t be any screenshots
(if u two have tea to spill and have to be apart, you best believe youā€™re sending each other audio of you laughing or commenting or at the very least giving a dramatic rendition of how arguments happened)
but his normal audio messages are usually just him telling you that he loves you a lot :) and he hopes you have a good day :) and reminders to eat and drink regularly :) and if you ever show this to anyone heā€™ll fight you >:)
just so you know, play-fighting doesnā€™t exist with seunghun because the concept is dumb to him
so either youā€™re wwe fighting or youā€™re not qualified to fight him
saying that, if you try and tickle him, itā€™s over. just donā€™t do it. he will not accept that sort of treachery in his home
funny how he says that and then would also spend a couple of hours cuddling you while youā€™re wrapped up in blanket so you can ā€˜feel like you would on a cloudā€™
the duality!
still makes you do dumb stuff after you start dating though thatā€™s not going away
you wanna go for a walk as soon as the sun starts to rise so you can see the sky change colours and look really pretty? how can you say no to that offer!
heā€™d do that but then get genuinely concerned when you say youā€™re tired before at the very least after 5pm
he just doesnā€™t like the idea of you not being healthy and happy
on this topic, i really donā€™t think seunghunā€™s the type to argue? about anything?
he just. he just doesnā€™t get angry very often tbh. maybe heā€™d get annoyed with you occasionally but if he has an issue with something youā€™re doing heā€™ll just tell you bro heā€™s not pressed about it
and he really expects you to do the same if itā€™s something that you seriously donā€™t like because he wonā€™t be offended by it
heā€™s a firm believe that youā€™re both best friends!! you can tell each other anything and nothing comes with negatives if itā€™s something you need to address with one another!!
like, getting jealous? yeah, he does!! but heā€™s rational and he knows he can trust you so whatā€™s there to get seriously mad about
and if you get jealous? thatā€™s fine, as long as you know too that heā€™s serious about how you two are supposed to be able to fully trust one another so you donā€™t need to be worried about anything
he doesnā€™t get snappy when heā€™s tired, he just wants to take a nap and maybe get a cuddle while he does :))) as long as youā€™re fine with that, heā€™s not bothered
heā€™d get quite upset if you snapped at him though, and heā€™d make sure to tell you whenever you calmed down from your mood that you can just tell him if youā€™re not in a good place or if youā€™re tired and heā€™ll give you your space
he always seems like a person whoā€™s so quick to bounce back from things? and i think heā€™d like to be able to just rant at you sometimes about how heā€™s really feeling before he has to rationalise it just so he isnā€™t bottling anything up
gives you genuine heart eyes when you remind him that itā€™s okay for him to have normal human emotional reactions to things like everybody else does
tbh seunghun would give you heart eyes all the time :///
i feel like this oneā€™s been shorter than others but i just. i just honestly think dating seunghun would be a really nice pleasant experience?
heā€™s just such a genuinely good person and has so much he wants to do with you
(heā€™d probably make a lil bucket list hhhhh)
would probably conclude that heā€™s definitely gonna marry you from the very moment he first started talking to you tbh
like he would constantly remind you, he firmly believes that you two are actual soulmates, so no problem is too big for the both of you to face in his eyes :((
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